James Gosling Talks About the Java Revolution

There is no question that Java technology is spreading

JavaWorld spoke with James Gosling, Java's creator, about what he envisions for the next wave in the Java revolution.

Q. How would you characterize the Java revolution -- what has happened since the language's inception?

A. Java started out as a language to build little applets: small programs that would do tasks on the computer without having to build entire programs. It has picked up steam. There is a lot of higher-end application-writing with it now -- server stuff, large real applications, not just applets.

The most interesting thing that's happening, though, is not at the server end, but what's happening with smaller machines and devices.

James Gosling, a VP and Sun Fellow at Sun Microsystems Inc., kicks off JavaOne April 2 with a keynote at 8:30 a.m.

Q. Such as?

A. PDAs, Web telephones, Web TV browsers.

Q. Can you elaborate? Are there devices out there in the prototype stage that will allow people to program their light switches, their coffee pots, and their toasters through a remote hand-held mini-device?

A. There are a number of people working on that very issue, and that's where I think Java has the most potential.

Q. What about a Java operating system?

A. You have to make the distinction between an OS as underlying software that a user never sees, and an OS as a user interface. Java clearly specifies the user interface. The software underneath can be anything -- Mac, PC, VAX VMS, whatever suits the needs of the particular user and application. For instance, we have a very small Java OS that suits our needs for talking to silicon (programming microchips). Applications that demand huge facilities -- running certain kinds of large projects, for instance -- require a more complicated operating system, like Solaris or MDS.

The whole point of Java was platform independence. That is, the language itself doesn't care what sort of OS is underneath. That's what makes it so useful for the Web. You can be using any OS in any location, and still use a Java applet.

Q. What about the Web? In your opinion, where is it going?

A. It's on track to becoming the next major mass-media instrument. There are a number of hurdles, however. For one thing, we don't really have the infrastructure in place to withstand what people want to do with it. And there are the social and political considerations -- freedom of speech, censorship -- those issues all have to be ironed out.

Gosling and JavaSoft president Alan Baratz will be opening the JavaOne conference with a keynote speech Wednesday, April 2, at 8:30 a.m.

Resources

• Gosling's bio http://java.sun.com/javaone/keynote.html#jgosling

March 31, 1997	Complete Contents