SA is home to some of the world`s best Java developers, says Dr Heinz Kabutz, author of the Java Specialists` Newsletter, which is sent to over 100 countries. However, there are still a number of issues that need improvement, he says.
Kabutz is part-owner of Maximum Solutions, a company specialising in Java software development and Java training. He has worked on several large Java applications since 1997 and his newsletter explores topics such as reflection, swing, patterns, dynamic proxies and the new features of JDK 5.0.
"South Africans are known internationally as hard-working, especially in the areas of engineering and science. The attitude to work is better than in other countries. We are quite ambitious and try to get ahead. I am not exactly sure why this is; it may have something to do with living so far away from everything, and having to work double-hard to keep up with technology," says Kabutz.
Matters that can still be improved include the tertiary education of programmers. "In Europe, the majority of developers that I have worked with had a Masters degree in Computer Science and quite a number had a PhD. This does not make them smarter than us, but it does give them a firmer foundation to build on," he adds.
The number of Java programmers is similar in Cape Town and Gauteng. However, there appears to be a net loss in experienced software developers, since it is easier for them to go overseas, than for foreign programmers to get work permits in SA, he says.
He feels there are not enough quality Java skills in SA as there is an oversupply of junior Java developers and a lack of senior Java experts.
"I have tried to repatriate a number of good Java developers, but most of them would have limited possibilities here due to employment policies and have thus chosen to remain abroad."
Java is arguably the best choice for programmers to work with and it`s cost-effective, says Kabutz.
He believes there are aspects of the Java platform, such as performance, that need improvement. For example, he says, Java 1.0 gave the language a bad name because of its slow speed but 1.1 doubled that performance. The next version should be announced at this week`s JavaOne conference in California.
Kabutz says more money should be focused on research in Java. "Obviously Sun, IBM and BEA spend money on research, but is it enough to produce the next big leap?"
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