Here's a list of ten unusual applications the Java programming language has been put to. Compiled by Ryan de Laplante of Javalobby, who says, "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." Sun SPOT

The Sun SPOT Device is a small, wireless, battery powered experimental platform programmed almost entirely in Java to allow regular programmers to create projects that used to require specialized embedded system development skills, Laplante writes. The hardware platform includes a range of built-in sensors, along with the ability to easily interface to external devices.

Project Looking Glass

Project Looking Glass, which is based on and evolved from Sun's advanced technology project, is an open source development project that supports running unmodified existing applications in a 3D space, as well as APIs for 3D window manager and application development.

Flying Saucer & Mozilla Rhino

Flying Saucer is 100 percent Java XHTML+CSS renderer, including support for table pagination, margin boxes, running elements, named pages and more. It is CSS 2.1 compliant (currently working on CSS 3 compliance), can be embedded into your Swing applications, and uses the open source LGPL license.

Mozilla Rhino, an open-source implementation of JavaScript written entirely in Java, is typically embedded into Java applications to provide scripting to end users.

UltraMixer

UltraMixer is a DJ mixing software that enables you to mix digital music in various formats such as MP3, WMA, AAC, OGG, WAV or CDs in real time requiring only a sound card. Two digital SoundPlayers replace the DJ's turntables. Making the "vinyls" are available within seconds through the integrated FileArchive. There are three versions of UltraMixer available: the Free Edition and the Basic Edition for private users and the Professional Edition for high demands and commercial use.

Blu-ray BD-J

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) selected Java technology as the platform for their advanced interactive application specification. Java technology was selected because:

• Java technology has proven to be a technically sound solution in the mobile domain and in interactive television (MHP/OCAP)
• Java technology has proven cross-platform technology support in embedded devices
• Java technology provides an open-ended platform for content development with secure network support

JavaFX Script & JavaFX Mobile

JavaFX Script is a compiled declarative scripting language that will soon be built into Java to enable Java developers and graphics designers to create rich user interfaces comparable to Adobe Flash. Recently, key-frame animation support was added. The graphical designer tool being developed will be an Adobe Illustrator plugin.

JavaFX Mobile is a complete mobile operating and application environment built around Java and Linux open source technologies. JavaFX Mobile includes support for Java ME applications and other standard Java APIs to enable a broad range of new and existing Java applications. In Laplante's view, JavaFX Mobile brings a nearly complete Java SE environment to mobile devices.

NASA World Wind

World Wind lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth. Leveraging Landsat satellite imagery and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data, World Wind lets you experience Earth terrain in visually rich 3D, just as if you were really there. It is very much like Google Earth, but written 100 percent in Java. There is an SDK for embedding it into your Java Swing applications.

Team Jefferson's Tommy Junior bot

Tommy Jr. is based on a Scion xB vehicle platform and is Team Jefferson's secret weapon with a patent-pending MAX software platform from Perrone Robotics. MAX represents the DNA and core robotics operating system that enables the rapid drop-in of commercially available and affordable sensors, hardware, and actuators. According to Laplante, MAX is based 100 percent on Java technology. Tommy Junior's micro-controllers and single low-cost standard car PC run the MAX robotics platform atop of standard, micro, and Java Real Time System (Java RTS) profiles. The team's after-market drop-in approach enables any vehicle whatsoever to be made fully autonomous within a short period of time. ThinkFree

ThinkFree is the compatible alternative to Microsoft Office. It includes ThinkFree Write (word processing), ThinkFree Calc (spreadsheet) and ThinkFree Show (presentation) applications that let you create, edit and update your documents. The ThinkFree interface is designed to look, feel and behaves like Microsoft Office. Because ThinkFree application use the same formats as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, your documents will look the same in ThinkFree as they do in Microsoft Office, no matter what editing features you are using. It can also save as PDF. Because ThinkFree is written in Java, it runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. There is a free online edition with 1 GB of storage, collaboration tools, publishing to blogs, web pages or ThinkFree Docs.

JPC

JPC is a pure Java emulation of an x86 PC with fully virtual peripherals that runs anywhere you have a JVM, whether x86, RISC, mobile phone or set-top box. It also includes the bulletproof security and stability of Java technology. JPC creates a virtual computer on which you can install your favorite operating system in a safe, flexible and powerful way to give you complete control over your favorite PC software's execution environment, whatever your real hardware or operating system, and JPC's multi-layered security makes it the safest solution for running the most dangerous software in quarantine -- ideal for archiving viruses, hosting honey pots and protecting your machine from malicious or unstable software. [...read more...]

From the latest issue:

Recent Blog Entries as of July 4, 2009, 5:23 pm
'Managing ZFS File Systems in Solaris Containers' Demonstrating Out-of-the-box Performance Gains with memcached-1.3.1 The Father of Java on His Progeny's Future Patch Checked Advanced (PCA) - Solaris OS Patch Management Utility VirtualBox 3.0 Released	Doing a Mobile Install of OpenSolaris and VirtualBox on a Laptop Latest Support and Key Features of Solaris Cluster for SAP NetWeaver Stack Solaris News Bites White Paper: Getting Ahead of The Trend in the Mobility Market Intel Xeon 5500 Processor Series on OpenSolaris, Solaris, and Linux
Blog RSS Feed