| By Alan Williamson |
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| July 3, 2008 07:15 AM EDT |
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For many years, Java and web developers alike have had to explain to the unwitting that JavaScript had absolutely nothing to do with Java. It was one of the great marketing gaffes of the mid-90s. They were no more alike than chalk and cheese. But in the last six months, I've had to lay down my placard and walk away from the picket line with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. Finally Java has been put into JavaScript.I have a great respect for Mother Nature. No matter what you throw at her, she has a wonderful way of always balancing the books and our world's favourite accountant is at it again.
For many years, Java and web developers alike have had to explain to the unwitting that JavaScript had absolutely nothing to do with Java. It was one of the great marketing gaffes of the mid-90s. They were no more alike than chalk and cheese.
For years I fought this fight, standing at the frontline with placards denouncing any JavaScript wannabe as a charlatan demanding they find their own name. We had Java first and goddamn it we weren't going to have it plastered just any-old-where (that said, let us skip neatly past the fact that Sun has tried to apply Java to absolutely everything from Linux distributions that didn't have Java to their now infamous JAVA stock symbol). 
But in the last six months, I have had to lay down my placard and walk away from the picket line with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. Finally Java has been put into JavaScript. Now when we say those words 'Java'-Script, we can actually say the Java part with true conviction.
Of course I am talking about Google's GWT framework, which is now about to enter its 1.5 release. My hat is truly off to Google for taking this rather bold approach and providing a world class framework within which to code scalable and manageable JavaScript applications, without actually having to use JavaScript! Genius!
Naturally it would be easy for me to churn through some words here and detail all the great features of GWT. But I won't. The real power that GWT has brought to the world of RIA is opening up the door to a whole legion of Java developers that wouldn't historically dare touch JavaScript due to its complete lack of structure, object orientation and type checking.
In many respects the world of Java has a lot to teach the JavaScript community. We've faced (and solved) the same problems that JavaScript is facing. For example, Java's cross-platform issues are JavaScript's cross-browser issues. The problems of rendering JavaScript within IE and Firefox is not dissimilar to Java's issues with, say, Windows and Linux. We solved the problem by developing abstractions, and worrying about the fine detail at a later stage.
This is how GWT operates. Peek inside their JAR file and you'll discover a whole host of different class implementations depending on the browser runtime the JavaScript will be running. No more do we have to worry about Safari vs Firefox vs IE, we just get on with the business of developing our solutions and leave the logistics to GWT.
But GWT is more than just a framework - it's John Wayne's, Rooster Cogburn US Marshall, riding the Wild West trying to bring a modicum of law and order to a structureless land. GWT has given the Enterprise market the confidence and creditability to start harnessing the browser as a proper alternative user interface.
There is a subtle irony in all of this. The Java community wants to get back into the browser space again and eat at Flash and Silverlight by introducing JavaFX. It wants Java developers to get back to developing browser apps. But has Google's GWT maybe made JavaFX somewhat redundant? JavaScript once more bites Java in the bum.
Back to the placards I go!
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