The document discusses Java desktop application development. It summarizes a presentation about issues with Java rich client applications and introduces solutions like NetBeans RCP and SwingLabs. The presentation discusses the speaker's qualifications and experience with the blueMarine project, a photographic workflow application. It demonstrates NetBeans RCP features and components like explorers, viewers, and actions. The presentation concludes that most challenges for shipping desktop apps are now history and developers can be creative in using frameworks beyond Swing.

2. blueMarine
photographic workflow with Java
or Why You Should Really Ship
Swing Applications
Fabrizio Giudici
Senior Java Architect

3. Overall Presentation Goal
Talk about issues with
Java Rich Client Applications
A real project perspective
Enumerate and introduce solutions
www.javapolis.com

4. Speaker’s Qualifications
 Senior Java Architect with 12 years of Java
experience
 Project leading, mentoring, teaching
 Member of JUG Milano, NetBeans Dream
Team
 Speaker at JavaPolis, Jazoon, JavaOne,
Jini Meeting
 Writer for NetBeans Magazine, Mokabyte
 Blogger at Java.Net
www.javapolis.com

5. Java is mature for
Rich Desktop Applications.
Just look beyond Swing.
www.javapolis.com

6. Java is mature for
Rich Desktop Applications.
Just look beyond Swing.
(beyond - not in another direction)
www.javapolis.com

7. The blueMarine project
 Whole photographic workflow
 Be creative with technology
 Be open - more than some scripting APIs
 FLOSS is not (only) a matter of freedom...
 ... but of better stuff
 Do special things for special communities
 e.g. amateur astrophotographers, birdwatchers, ...
 It all started in 2003
www.javapolis.com

8. DEMO
Splash

9. Java for Desktop Readiness Phases
 Phase -1: prior 2005
 Slow, poorly integrated, ugly L&F
 Phase 0: 2005
 JDK 5 spreads, “Extreme GUI Makeover” starts
 Phase +1: 2006-2007
 JDK 6, Aerith, SwingLabs matures
 TimingFramework, Nimbus, Filthy Rich Clients
 Phase +2: 2008
 Add NetBeans RCP: Filthy Rich Platform Clients
 Ready for complex applications - anyone?
www.javapolis.com

10. Java for Desktop Readiness Phases


blueMarine
Phase -1: prior 2005
Slow, poorly integrated, ugly L&F
0.8
 Phase 0: 2005 died here
 JDK 5 spreads, “Extreme GUI Makeover” starts
 Phase +1: 2006-2007
 JDK 6, Aerith, SwingLabs matures
 TimingFramework, Nimbus, Filthy Rich Clients
 Phase +2: 2008
 Add NetBeans RCP: Filthy Rich Platform Clients
 Ready for complex applications - anyone?
www.javapolis.com

11. Java for Desktop Readiness Phases


blueMarine
Phase -1: prior 2005
Slow, poorly integrated, ugly L&F
0.8
 Phase 0: 2005 died here
 JDK 5 spreads, “Extreme GUI Makeover” starts
 Phase +1: 2006-2007
 JDK 6, Aerith, Swing blueMarine 0.9
 TimingFramework, Nimbus, Filthy Rich Clients
 Phase +2: 2008 reborn here
 Add NetBeans RCP: Filthy Rich Platform Clients
 Ready for complex applications - anyone?
www.javapolis.com

12. Problems
www.javapolis.com

13. Solutions
www.javapolis.com

14. If you can just remember four points...
 NetBeans RCP
 NetBeans Visual Library
 SwingLabs
 NASA World Wind for Java
www.javapolis.com

15. OpenBlueSky
 Where generic stuff spins off blueMarine
 Can be used for other applications
 Consolidated stuff will be submitted for
standard APIs enhancement
www.javapolis.com

16. References
 weblogs.java.net/blog/fabriziogiudici
 bluemarine.tidalwave.it
 openbluesky.dev.java.net
 mistral.tidalwave.it
 forceten.tidalwave.it
www.javapolis.com

17. References
 www.netbeans.org/features/platform
 www.netbeans.org/community/magazine
 graph.netbeans.org
 www.swinglabs.org
 timingframework.dev.java.net
 worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/java
 quaqua.dev.java.net
 nimbus.dev.java.net
 personales.ya.com/nimrod
www.javapolis.com

18. NetBeans RCP
www.javapolis.com

19. Question
What do you expect from a (desktop)
framework?
www.javapolis.com

20. Desktop frameworks
 Solid foundation to base your application
 APIs working together, well tested
 Service discovery and provider
 Plugin support
 Messaging infrastructure (via events)
 Integrated help system
 And more
20

21. Swing is not a framework
 Missing sophisticated components
 date picker, tree+table, etc...
 Neither service discovery nor providers
 No plugins
 No messaging (only simple listeners)
 Threading issues
 JSR-296 (Swing Application Framework) not
good for large applications
21

22. What is NetBeans RCP?
NetBeans { NetBeans IDE
NetBeans RCP
22

23. What is NetBeans RCP?
NetBeans { NetBeans IDE
NetBeans RCP
23

24. What is NetBeans RCP?
NetBeans { NetBeans IDE
NetBeans RCP
Your Desktop Application
24

25. NetBeans RCP
 You start with a skeleton application
 You populate it
 panels, views
 actions, menus, toolbars
 etc..
 Often declaratively
 Based on Swing
 You can integrate third parties' components
 You can control the Look&Feel
25

26. Most important NetBeans RCP APIs
 Actions  Modules
 DataObjects  Nodes
 Dialogs  Options
 Explorer  Progress
 FileSystem  Visual Library
 Lookup  Windowing/docking
26

27. DEMO
Explorers, Viewers, Actions

28. Lookup
 Plays a fundamental role in many APIs
 Repository for a bag of objects
 Locator for services
 Service service =
Lookup.getDefault().lookup(Service.class);
 Fires events
 “Global” lookup can be used as a simple
“event bus”
28

29. DataObject represents a file-based entity
29

30. You can extend DataObject
30

31. Lookup holds “capabilities”
31

32. A Node “represents” a DataObject
32

33. A Node has “capabilities” too
33

34. Representing set of selected (etc) Nodes
34

35. A View renders Nodes
35

36. An Action can be automatically enabled
36

37. Some points
 You don't need to always use everything
 E.g. just Nodes, no DataObjects
 Can use them “incrementally”
 NetBeans RCP keeps objects in sync
 E.g. updating a DataObject → bound Nodes
 E.g. Nodes bound to the same DataObject
37

38. NetBeans RCP stuff can be extended
 What about a “cover flow” view?
 Use JOGL for fast 3D
 Just extend and create a new View
 TimingFramework for animating stuff
38

39. DEMO
CoverFlowView

40. Update Centers
 NetBeans components (.nbm)
 can be added / removed on the fly
 can declare dependencies
 can be versioned
 can add actions, menus, toolbars
 Pretty good for plugins
 (See demo in a few minutes)
40

41. NetBeans Visual Library
www.javapolis.com

42. NetBeans Visual Library
 Support for graph- add screenshot
oriented modeling from UML or MIDP
designer
 Nodes
 Arcs
 Routing
 Interaction
 Can be creatively used
 Whiteboard paradigm
 Use interactivity: touch, drag, change objects
 PS Can be used with plain Swing apps
42

43. DEMO
LightTable

44. GeoSpatial Components
www.javapolis.com

45. JXMapViewer
 A generic 2D, tile-based map renderer
 See Joshua Marinacci's blog
 Retrieves tiles from the web (or locally)
 Part of Swing-WS (SwingLabs)
 Can stick objects
to the map
 Hint: integrate it with
the Visual Library
www.javapolis.com

46. DEMO
GeoViewer

47. NASA World Wind for Java
 Java version of NASA World Wind
 3D software that renders the Earth
 NASA terrain imagery
 Other data sets can be plugged in
 if legal stuff is ok...
 Based on JOGL
47

48. DEMO
GeoViewer 3D

49. Java Imaging APIs
www.javapolis.com

50. Java Imaging APIs
 Many options (and dispersive?)
 Java2D, JAI, ImageJ, JMagick, JHLabs, ...
 Some too difficult
 Wild behaviour and performance differences
 Parallel Computing is a must
 Multi Core
 Small, local mini-grids
 Massive Grid Computing
 There's not a global community
www.javapolis.com

51. Mistral: fix 'em up
 Imaging meta-framework
 Multiple APIs can
be used together
 Simplifies APIs
 Supports multicore,
Jini, Sun Grid
www.javapolis.com

52. Open Problems for blueMarine
 Java still misses something on the desktop
 e.g. video streaming, USB support
 Can be worked around with JNI/JNA
 Java 7 is not too far
 Some NB RCP stuff not fully customizable
 Better integration NB RCP SwingLabs
 Compliance to Apple HIG
 Linux + JOGL issues
 No JAI native support for Mac OS X
52

53. A final point
www.javapolis.com

54. Be efficient with innovation
 “Cool stuff„ often means complexity
 Go quickly from idea to prototype
 Integrate easily others' stuff
 NIH isn't a killer-idea, but an idea-killer
 Build cool demonstrators
 ... and cool applications soon after
 (stay tuned for some new cool stuff)
54

55. Concluding statement
Most showstoppers are history now.
www.javapolis.com

56. Concluding statement
Most showstoppers are history now.
You CAN ship destkop apps.
www.javapolis.com

57. Concluding statement
Most showstoppers are history now.
You CAN ship destkop apps.
There's a world beyond Swing.
www.javapolis.com

58. Concluding statement
Most showstoppers are history now.
You CAN ship destkop apps.
There's a world beyond Swing.
(SwingLabs, NetBeans RCP, etc...)
www.javapolis.com

59. Concluding statement
Most showstoppers are history now.
You CAN ship destkop apps.
There's a world beyond Swing.
(SwingLabs, NetBeans RCP, etc...)
Be creative. Mix 'em up.
www.javapolis.com

60. Q&A
View JavaPolis talks @ www.parleys.com

61. Thank you for your
attention