On 23 May 1995, Java was first announced to the world. Only four years ago! It must seem ludicrous that enterprises would even consider putting their futures into the hands of a pre-schooler... Yet many have done it, and are reaping the benefits. They are seeing shortened time to market, simplicity of deployment and fatter profits.
One only has to keep an eye on the press to see that Java is literally everywhere.
Much as I`d like to rant about how great it is, that`s not the intent of this column (I`ll leave that to another day), rather let`s explore the issue of enterprise readiness for Java. One only has to keep an eye on the press to see that Java is literally everywhere. Every major software vendor (with one notable exception) has got behind Java and is churning out product after product that either supports Java development, or is a Java-based solution.
Some hard facts about Java uptake
Don`t just take my word for it; let`s take a look at some of the numbers. According to the IDC, the number of programmers worldwide working in the Java programming language ballooned from 82 059 in 1996 to 727 580 by the end of 1998. The IDC further predicts that by the end of 2003, just over three years away, that in excess of 4 million developers will be using Java as their primary development and deployment environment.
Another significant number is that 79% of Fortune 1000 companies deployed Java technology-based applications during 1998. This is expected to reach 100% during 2000.
"It`s not a question of whether Java technology is ready for the enterprise," says Daryl Plummer, VP and research director for the GartnerGroup`s Java Technology and Internet development practice. "It`s a question of, is the enterprise ready for Java technology? If you`re doing multi-tier, app servers, packaged apps, middleware, frameworks... Frankly, if you`re going with almost any major vendor, the Java platform plays a role in their solution. You almost can`t make a choice without stumbling over Java technology in some way. It`s endemic to the enterprise, and something every CIO should have a strategy for."
Another prediction from the notoriously conservative GartnerGroup is that through 2003, more than 70% of new development will use Java technology.
If you are a CIO or other senior player in an IT organisation today, you no longer have a choice. Java has achieved momentum and is fast approaching critical mass. It is unstoppable.
So what`s all the fuss about?
Most people know that Java is a programming language. Few realise that this is only a small part of the story. Java is in fact a group of related and complimentary technologies that together create an environment for creating and deploying sophisticated applications. It has some particular features that make it stand out. Included in this technological potpourri are an object-oriented programming language, a platform-independent delivery mechanism and a host of Internet and network related technologies.
The Java technology APIs (Application Programming Interface) cover virtually every aspect of computing in a networked environment. Java`s key strength is the fact that it is virtually platform-independent. A Java application written on Windows NT will run as is on any operating system that supports Java. Write once; run everywhere has virtually come true... I say "virtually" since not all operating systems are created equal, so naturally there will be minor differences. Very often these differences can be ignored or easily worked around. Porting Java applications is normally a task that takes only a few days for a significant size application.
Java supports distributed application development through Remote Method Invocation and through support of the Corba 2.0 specification. The Enterprise Java Beans specification provides a framework for distributed enterprise-class applications that require transaction management and object persistence to name just a few of its goals.
The Java Beans specification allows developers to create components that can be inspected by a RAD tool and wired together graphically. This provides a platform-independent RAD development!
Can Java replace Cobol?
Since many enterprises are using Cobol as their primary development language, this seems like an appropriate question. The answer may surprise many. It has already started replacing Cobol.
"We bit the bullet, and made a clean cut from the Cobol world," says Marjorie Bash, manager of customer information systems at Automotive Rentals in Mt Laurel, New Jersey, one of the world`s largest privately held fleet management companies.
Over the past year and a half, Bash`s small team of six developers trained in the Java programming language - all of whom transitioned directly from Cobol, and entered into the project with virtually no experience working in Java technology - reengineered 16 years of legacy Cobol systems into 100% object-oriented Java code.
This is not an isolated example; many other companies are doing the same thing. Others are wrapping their legacy Cobol applications as Corba components and using Java for all new development. With Java Virtual Machines and Corba running on platforms such as IBM`s MVS/CICS, Java has hit the mainstream.
Where to next?
The largest limiting factor to the growth and uptake of Java is the availability of skilled Java programmers. This makes re-training the only practical route to adopting Java. Unfortunately in our, here today, gone tomorrow IT job climate, you could end up training people, only to lose them soon afterward. This is not a unique problem in the IT world and can easily be addressed with appropriate measures.
In my opinion enterprises need to bite the bullet and begin the process of training their developers for the next major development environment: Java!
It`s clear from the rate of acceptance of Java among the major vendors (with one notable exception) that Java is here to stay. According to the GartnerGroup, Microsoft will not succeed in marginalising Java into just another language. There is simply too much support from the balance of the industry.
Although Java is only four years old, those who have already adopted it or who do so soon will reap the rewards. The balance will be playing catch up, and may well find themselves out of business!
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