News.com have an interview with James Gosling on their site today. They cover topics such as rate of Java adoption (still showing no signs of slowing), the ease of use of Java which has previously been a barrier to entry (although starting to be addressed in Java 5.0 and EE5.0), and a comparision between the use of scripting languages and Java.
HD gaming to arrive when PS3 ships
Although Microsoft are touting their XBox360 as the next generation in gaming with HD capabilities, it’s actually only partly true.
Firstly, the console only supports regular DVD disks, and not either of the soon to be arriving next generation BluRay or HD-DVD formats. Secondly, the highest resolution it can output is 1080i. Thats ‘interlaced’ not progressive scan. Yes thats far more lines of resolution than standard TV output (480i), but the real holy grail of HD TV is 1080p. Progressive. Not interlaced.
The PS3 will hit the shelves sometime this year with both next generation DVD format, BluRay, capable of storing 50GB in dual layer format (compared to 8GB on a dual layer DVD), and true 1080p progressive HD TV output.
Couple that with the monstrous GPU processor, plus 7 cores on the Cell processor, and we’re in for something truely special.
Microsoft may have got to the market first, but what they’ve delivered really is XBox 1.5, not the next generation. I expect Microsoft will be introducing HD-DVD external drives in the near future, and possibly an upgrade of 1080p in a second release of the console, but next generation? Almost. PS3 will be the next generation, and if Sony deliver what they are promising, they will Leave the XBox 360 behind in their dust.
Wicket: MVC Framework simplicity
There are so many MVC web frameworks that it is hard to keep track of them all and their pros and cons. Wicket has been around for a year or so but has not caught much attention. The major selling points of the approach that Wicket takes is in it’s simplicity.
Javalobby have an article that gives a quick overview of building a simple web app using Wicket, which gives a good introduction to this framework.
Wiley Technology bought by Computer Associates
Wiley Technology, the company behind excellent Java monitoring tools such as Wiley Introscope, has been bought out by Computer Associates for $375 million.