Java SE 6.0 beta desktop integration demo

Mustang SE 6.0 currently in beta has a number of desktop integration improvements, most noticably the native platform API calls to leverage native platform UI look and feel. In addition to this, on the Windows platform there is a tighter integration with Windows desktop features, for example, splash screen support, SysTray support and ability to interact with Internet Explorer.

DevX have an article on their site that demonstrates these new features, complete with a downloadable demo to illustrate the new features.

The current Java SE 6 beta can be downloaded from here.

Next-gen web-app frameworks: JBoss Seam and Stripes

Unless you’re a newcomer to the Java world, you already know that nothing stands still with Java technology. There are a number of new web application frameworks coming onto the scene which take advantage of Java SE5.0 and EE5 features.

Stripes is a MVC framework which makes use of SE5.0 annotations – there is an overview here.

Gavin King also has an overview of the JBoss Seam webapp framework, which ties together JSF and EJB3.0. There is an overview on the Hibernate Blog here. Gavin’s example using Seam shows how simple it is to develop a webapp with Seam and implements the same webapp as the Stripes example as a direct comparison. The real benefits and main features offered by Seam however are in it’s ability to manage conversation state and integration with business processes, which are not demonstrated in this example.

60GB HD will come with PS3 as standard

During last weeks shipping date confirmation of November this year it was mentioned that the 60GB HD preinstalled with Linux will be required for the PS3 to function. It wasn’t clear however if this would be an additional purchase.

Sony have confirmed that the 60GB HD will be included in the standard pacakge. Optional upgrades to larger harddrives will also be offered.

1yr head-start for Microsoft’s XBox360? Not enough according to industry analyst

Industry analysts have been crunching the numbers and making their predictions, and despite Microsoft’s 1 year headstart on Sony and getting their next-gen console to market first, this will still not be enough to be able to hold back the rapidly approaching jaugernaught that is the PS3, now confirmed to be arriving this November.

The jewel in Sony’s crown is the inclusion of the next-gen DVD player, the BluRay drive – this will be Sony’s trojan horse, pushing into many more households for that reason alone.