java.sun.com have an interview with Josh Bloch and Neil Gafter on their new Java book ‘ Java Puzzlers.
See my previous comments about the book here.
Sony confirm launch date for PS3 – November 2006 worldwide
In a Game Developers meeting today in Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken Kutagri confirmed a delay for shipping the PS3 – the launch will be in November 2006 (in time for Thanksgiving in the US), and will simultaneously launch worldwide.
Other details confirmed:
- the PS3 will depend on a 60GB HD, but it is not yet confirmed if the console will come with the hard drive as standard or as an optional add on. If it is a separate purchase this seems odd since the annoucement also urged developers to develop games to be dependent on the drive being present. It is expected that all games will make use of the hard drive being installed to avoid a situation where some games are developed to make use of the drive and some don’t.
- The hard drive will come with Linux installed, and is expected to have ‘home media server’ type functionality. It has been speculated for a while now if this would also include Tivo like functionality
- Since the operating system will be on a hard drive, the console will be fully updatable, presumably over an internet connection with downloadable patches and updates
- Sony also confirm the development of a XBox-Live like online service, called ‘Playstation Network Platform’, and it was also mentioned in the meeting that the service would be free for users.
Gosling on Java, PHP, Ruby, and C#
In a recent interview with James Gosling at Sun’s World Wide Education and Research Conference in New York, Gosling was asked whether he considers the Java language under threat from any of the new-comer languages. Gosling replied that languages like PHP and Ruby (on Rails) are powerful at what they are designed to do, namely generate web pages, but are less suitable for implementing large enterprise systems.
Also of interest, C# was considered a threat to Java but no longer : “they’re hopelessly focused on one platform”.
Sony invite media and analysts to Playstation developers annual meeting
Sony have invited media and analysts to it’s Playstation developers annual meeting, which is usually only intended for licensed developers for it’s Playstation console.
If the media and analysts are invited then it would seem they have something to announce or present – it’s specualted that they may announce the launch schedule and/or pricing for the much awaited PS3.
News on CV&G website suggests that Sony is also investigating the possibility of offering an online downloadable back-catalog of PS2 and PS-One games for the PS3, which would match Nintendo’s similar planned offering for the Revolution, their next-gen console. It is also rumored that a new version of the PSP may be annouced that may include a camera.
The Game Developers Conference is also coming up on March 20, so expect to hear some Sony and Nintendo announcements in the next couple of weeks.