I certainly understand that even if J2ME supported Java 5 many folk would not be able to use Java 5 features (apart from via Retroweaver) with J2ME until most Java 1.4-only phones "age out" of the market.
The problem now is worse. By not getting J2ME support on the phones to Java 5, by now we're necessarily years from anyone being able to use it in a J2ME app -- as even if Java 5 J2ME phones started shipping now it will take time for the non-Java-5 J2ME phones to "age out"! Getting J2ME to Java 5 (or just straight to 6 or 7 at this point!) is step one to modernizing here. The "age out" delay will still keep J2ME applications back in the dark ages for some time thereafter. -- Jess Holle Reinier Zwitserloot wrote: > Wasn't the idea of JavaFX, and the upcoming jigsaw, amongst other > things, to actually do what y'all are asking for? Eliminate J2ME as a > separate entity stuck in the past and just make it a lighter profile > J2SE? > > You must have some respect for the idea that java 1.5, as is, works > with a new class file format which those older phones cannot deal > with, so updating J2ME would involve stripping some functionality > which cant be retrofitted to the older class spec (example: > annotations), and down-compiling everything else (I forgot the name > but there used to be a tool that took java v1.5 classes and rewrote > them to be compatible with v1.4 and below runtimes, though of course > it would just strip out annotations wholesale, and you obviously > couldn't use any newly introduced API (including generics reflection). > So, sure, it's not impossible and it would have been nice if the J2ME > build tools got updated so you could just program with generics, and > even use J2SE-targeted libraries which a 'devolving compiler' will > downgrade to whatever works on J2ME, and if it detects usage of API or > features that just cannot be downgraded, an error with a useful > message would result. Just saying its somewhat harder than it might > seem. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to javaposse@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to javaposse+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
