Top 10 Destinations for New Java Technology Developers at the 2007 JavaOne Conference

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Note: The schedule of sessions and speakers is subject to change, so be sure to check the catalog of 2007 JavaOne conference sessions for the latest information.

1. Desktop Java Technology Today (TS-3160)
   Speakers: Chet Haase and Thorsten Laux, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    
   This technical session explores the current state of desktop Java technology, highlighting technologies such as deployment, Swing, the Java 2D API, and Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT). It begins with an overview of the state of desktop Java technology and then focuses on the meat of the presentation: what's new in the Java Platform, Standard Edition 6 (Java SE 6) for desktop Java technology developers. Next, the session shows where Java technology is headed for Java SE 7 and shows sample code and a demo or two.
    
   
2. Why Spaghetti Is Not Tasty: Architecting Full-Scale Swing Apps (TS-3316)
   Speaker: Jasper Potts, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    
   This technical session tackles the biggest issue in building medium to large-scale Swing applications: If they are not architected from the beginning, the interconnections and communication -- events and listeners -- can easily become a huge pile of spaghetti. This leads to unmanageable application code, slipping project deadlines, spiraling development costs, and even project failure. The session sets out to explain the main issues a developer is likely to come across in trying to build a full-scale Swing application: wiring, communication, and modularity. The session explains the common ways of handling these issues.
    
   
3. Effective Concurrency for the Java Platform (TS-2388)
   Speaker: Brian Goetz, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    
   The Java programming language has turned a generation of application programmers into concurrent programmers through its direct support of multithreading. However, the concurrency primitives that the Java programming language provides are just that -- primitive. You can build whatever concurrency constructs you need, but doing so takes great care, because concurrent programming poses many traps for the unwary.
    
   Based on the principles in the best-selling book Java Concurrency in Practice and structured with the "bite-sized item" style of Effective Java, this talk focuses on design techniques that will help you create correct and maintainable concurrent code.
    
   
4. All About Java Technology-Based Robotics (TS-1519)
   Speaker: Paul Perrone, Perrone Robotics, Inc.
    
   This session describes why Java technology is ideal for emerging mobile robotics applications as well as for more-mature industrial robotics and automation applications. The speaker describes his experiences and gives concrete examples of employing Java technology in robots of all shapes and sizes. Perrone will cover the use of Java SE, Java ME, Java Real-Time System (Java RTS), and Project Sun SPOT technologies for a wide variety of robotics applications. The session includes descriptions and example code for rat- and cat-sized applications that range from hobbyist examples for developers to get their hands on, to real-world commercial examples. And it also presents grander, more elephant-sized applications, such as the speaker's experiences with an autonomous dune buggy, Tommy, for the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, and Tommy Junior, an autonomous Scion xB, being built for the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge.
    
   The session also presents experiences and examples with unmanned air vehicles, industrial robotics, and automation applications. Attendees will gain a sense of the broad range of applications along with concrete examples and code samples for use of Java technology in emerging mobile robotics applications and mature industrial automation applications.
    
   
5. JavaScript Programming Language: Best Practices for Developers on the Java Platform (BOF-6012)
   Speakers: Gregory Murray and Eugene Lazutkin, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    
   As the popularity of Web 2.0 and Ajax grows, developers on the Java platform will increasingly be working with the JavaScript programming language, whether it be generating data formatted in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) for JavaScript technology-based clients or writing JavaScript code for the presentation layer of a web application. As many developers on the Java platform have already learned, the Java and JavaScript programming languages may have a name in common, but they are very different.
    
   This BOF session covers best practices of writing JavaScript code from the perspective of developers on the Java platform, leveraging the best practices of the Java community. The presentation's topics include object-oriented JavaScript technology, object inheritance, prototypes, use of namespaces, JSON, internationalization, accessibility, feature detection, memory management, and use of Ajax. It explains each of these topics with concrete code examples. The presentation uses the Java programming language as the basis for covering corresponding JavaScript features where applicable.
    
   
6. Real-World Comet-Based Applications (TS-6807)
   Speakers: Jean-François Arcand, Sun Microsystems, Inc.; Alex Russell, JotSpot Inc.; and Greg Wilkins, Mortbay
    
   This session introduces Comet-based applications. Comet -- sometimes called request polling, HTTP streaming, or continuation -- is a programming technique that enables web servers to send data to the client without any need for the client to request it. It allows creation of event-driven web applications.
    
   The session introduces what a Comet application is and when to use and create Comet applications. Next, it discusses the Comet framework and its Bayeux protocol. Finally, it demonstrates Comet and Comet applications, using Ajax and the Dojo toolkit.
    
   
7. Ajax for Average Joes: Enterprise Ajax Adoption Without Rocket Scientists (BOF-6042)
   Speaker: Coach Wei, Nexaweb Technologies Inc.
    
   Consumer applications such as Google Maps have opened the eyes of business users to a new web experience, but the technology behind Google Maps -- Ajax -- poses significant development and maintenance challenges. Although powerful in the hands of rocket scientists, Ajax has been beyond the grip of average enterprise developers.
    
   This BOF session presents techniques and approaches that significantly simplify Ajax development and maintenance. Starting by introducing the declarative and programmatic programming models and different levels of Ajax adoption, the session addresses how to develop Ajax applications the right way, how to reduce the skill set requirements, how to make Ajax scale to large, distributed team-based development projects, and how to integrate multiple community projects to achieve higher productivity.
    
   The session presents code and application examples.
    
   
8. 3-D Earth Visualization With NASA World Wind (TS-3489)
   Speaker: Tom Gaskins, NASA
    
   NASA World Wind provides next-generation 3-D virtual-globe technology for embedding in applications written in the Java programming language. It supplies a suite of Java technology-based components that developers include within their own applications, providing virtual-globe functionality to any application that can benefit from it. Because of the Java programming language's Write Once, Run Anywhere design, NASA World Wind components are available and identical on all platforms. The components perform as well as, or better than, any other known virtual-globe implementation and use the OpenGL API for 3-D graphics using Java OpenGL (JOGL).
    
   This presentation introduces NASA World Wind and shows several ways of embedding it in programs written in the Java programming language. It describes how to deploy World Wind with Java Web Start software and as an applet. It also shows how to extend World Wind to visualize any 2-D or 3-D information in the context of an accurately modeled 3-D Earth with terrain.
    
   
9. Package, Protect, Promote: Essential Tools for Producing Competitive Commercial Desktop Applications (BOF-3373)
   Speaker: James Brundege, Synaptocode Software LLC
    
   Commercial desktop applications face several unique challenges that internal enterprise applications avoid. Is software installation quick and painless for the naive end user? Are the software and the intellectual property within it protected against theft? Can end users try the program before buying it, and how do you convince them to pay once it's installed? Can you remotely install patches and upgrades without inconveniencing your customers? This session provides an overview of Java technology-centric tools that solve these problems.
    
   The session discusses application installers, obfuscators, piracy protection, autoupdating software, Java Web Start software, and other tools.
    
   
10. Easy Deployment Is Finally Here (TS-3290)
    Speakers: Kenneth Russell and Ethan Nicholas, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
     
    Before a user can run your software, you first have to get that software -- and an appropriate version of the Java platform -- onto that person's computer. How do you tell which version of the Java platform that user has and upgrade it if necessary? What's the best way to install and run your code? Is there any way to make the process faster and less disruptive? In today's competitive market, customers aren't interested in wading through long downloads and complex installations. Are you up to the challenge?
     
    Attend this session for a look at how Java platform deployment technologies can answer these questions today, along with some upcoming features. You learn about significant improvements to both the Java Plug-in and Java Web Start software, along with some top-secret -- and very exciting -- new deployment technologies that will make your customers happier and your life as a developer easier.
     
    

This is only a small sampling of what's to come at the 2007 JavaOne conference. Many other destinations will be of interest to developers new to the Java platform as well as to more seasoned developers, so watch the front page of java.sun.com for more top 10 destination articles aimed at specific types of developers or areas of development.