OpenSolaris was released a few days ago and I took it for a test drive after work. I've been meaning to write about it but work has been keeping me very busy lately. Before I go into details, I'll summarize what Sun is doing with OpenSolaris. They are creating a distribution targeted for desktop use (at least for now) that will have the latest and greatest software, released twice per year. Servers will still use the old Solaris, who's release cycle is 3+ years. The new distribution has a completely rewritten installer and boots into a working desktop off of a Live CD (like Ubuntu). The old package management system has been enhanced or replaced by Image Packaging System (IPS) which is very much like Debian's apt, but is tightly integrated with ZFS features such as snapshots. IPS can also be used to install packages on other OS's such as Windows.

Java is such a great language and platform for any kind of application. It is open, fast, powerful, runs on any platform, and there are more jobs for Java than any other programming language. After reading more FUD and Java bashing from Ruby land I thought it would be fun to put together a list of truly amazing uses of Java that covers a wide spectrum.

Now that the NetBeans IDE 6.0 is out, work has begun on version 6.1 (despite the roadmap showing 7.0 as the next version.) Version 6.1 is due for release by the end of April 2008 -- just in time for JavaOne. What's even better news is that the NetBeans team has released Patch 1 through the update center, and soon will release Patch 2. We no longer have to wait months or even a year to get bugs fixed. Now they are delivering bug fixes regularly while simultaneously working on the next release.

I read through the list of tickets for version 6.1 and think that this release will be as important as 6.0 because it brings many integrated features that mainstream Java developers expect in an IDE. Here is a list of highlights:

Just over two years ago I started what I consider a career change from Microsoft technologies into the world of Java. I call it a career change because I've had to re-learn almost everything. There are so many frameworks, JSR standards, application servers, patterns, etc. It was a bit overwhelming, especially since I was under pressure to create a new product for a client about 6 months into my learning curve. I had to make a lot of decisions fast, and found that choosing to use JCP/JSR standards almost exclusively greatly simplified the decision making process. Now that I am more experienced in Java EE 5 technologies such as JSF, EJB3, JPA, JAX-WS and JCA, I feel more open to learning other technologies to expand my "toolbelt". I do not regret focusing on Java EE 5 and think that is a real asset on my resume. I recognize that there are places where EE 5 just won't fit, such as the supposed 50% market share that IBM WebSphere has which is STILL stuck on J2EE 1.4.

One of my upcoming home projects will be rather large. One of the first requirements is to build an extensible platform that supports plugins. I was really impressed with how JIRA does plugins (thanks to Struts Action Framework 2.0 aka WebWork) and this is exactly the kind of thing I need. I think this is a good example where JSF isn't the right tool. I love JSF, especially 2.0 with WebBeans, but think it would be good for my career if I have strong skill in at least two frameworks/APIs in every major area. After a lot of thought over the last 6 months, I think I have decided on the following:

I'm a regular listener of the NetBeans podcast. At the end of every episode there is a NetBeans Puzzler question about the 6.0 IDE that usually makes you work to find the answer, while learning about a new or obscure feature. I decided to participate for the first time after listening to podcast #36. If there are multiple correct answers then a winner is randomly selected. Luckily I won :) They gave me a choice of four prizes:

1. A NetBeans T-shirt -- I have one already
2. A copy of Adam Myatt's book: "Pro NetBeans IDE 5.5" -- I feel comfortable using the IDE already
3. A 1 gigabyte USB drive -- I have a 1 GB Sun branded USB drive already
4. A copy of the Boudreau/Tulach/Wielenga book: "Rich Client Programming" -- Now this looks interesting!

I chose the RCP book and it arrived yesterday. I have to finish my Sun Certified Java Developer assignment, and read two other books before I'll have time for this one but I will definitely read it. I have been planning on creating a suite of applications based on Java EE 6 technologies in 2008 once I'm moved to Toronto. Part of the suite is a NetBeans plugin.

Since every NetBeans podcast winner seems to take a picture of themselves with their prize for the podcast blog, I have taken one too: