Apparently the demos kept crashing when demo'd by Sr. VP Rich Green; being caught with his pants down he fumbled trying to recover from a brain-freeze. Which I feel empathy for - when doing a live demo that is everyone's worst fear. Obviously they took a calculated risk in trying to demo something that wasn't ready, the technology is still not mature enough and has a long way to go, but I think they had an internal mandate to make it the showcase event of JavaOne (much like Thermo was the highlight of MAX 07).

I also love how the media interprets things - they really should have a panel of nerds on standby that can double check statements for accuracy. One article I read was saying Java is already on lots of "internet servers", therefore applications can be created without complex programming. I'm not quite sure how those two statements relate to each other? :) Some articles mention that because of millions of servers using Java, and that apparently gives JavaFX a head start somehow.

The Tariq take is this: the biggest advantage for JavaFX is that if you are a Java developer you get to leverage your existing skill-set, vs. having to learn something new. The drawback of JavaFX is that it's so late to show that SUN will have to do an enormous amount of work to get caught up. The other weakness of JavaFX is that it's ecosystem is generally limited to the development aspect. I know they talked about bringing it to the creative side as well, but I'll believe it when I see it. Where as with Flex/AIR there's a seamless transition from the creative side, to the development side, to the deployment and hosting side. Adobe has the entire end to end suite. E.g on the design side they dominate with tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks. Client technologies they have the AIR Runtime, Flash, and Acrobat. Then all the way to the server side they have JRUN, Coldfusion, Acrobat Connect, and BlazeDS/Live Cycle Data Services.

Silverlight is somewhere in between and has been moving blazingly fast; they have massive amounts of capital to throw at getting caught up.

I like competition, I believe it results in superior products at a reasonable price to the consumer. But I think from a marketing perspective, Sun needs to keep expectations low - Adobe and MSFT are just too far ahead and have distinct advantages that Sun can't compete on.

Once you get a tarnished reputation, it's extremely difficult to undo that. Better would be for Sun to keep a low profile, grow the technology and build a groundswell of support and let the technology earn a solid reputation - vs. trying to use a laundry list campaign and going about it in a desperate kind of way, otherwise you're just a me-too product.

There is an army of Java developers out there who'll probably give JavaFX a try; so the strategy should focus on what Sun's distinct advantage is - the massive size of the Java community.

She won't even take liquid foods like yogurt or juice - all she wants is water. She was 28lbs on the actual day of her bday, but she's regressed to 26lbs because of this infection... those were two hard earned pounds! :(

Hopefully the worst is over with the antibiotics and all.

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Spend a week in Paradise at the beautiful PARADISE VILLAGE BEACH RESORT AND SPA in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. This resort has EVERYTHING you could want! Nuevo Vallarta is an upscale gated resort community about 15 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. .

If you haven't heard of this resort, check it out at www.paradisevillage.com .

We have 1 week (7 nights) available between May 1, 2008 and Oct 7, 2008. Basically give us 2 options for the dates you want and we will confirm which of those 2 are available. .

There are 2 options as far as accommodations:

Studio - $499 for the week (regular rate is $101 per night or $707 per week)

• Area 700 sq ft approx
• Separate kitchen
• 1 bathroom
• Dining bar with stools
• Queen size bed (optional 2 twins)
• Living area with pull-out sofa bed (n/a with optional twin beds)
• Sleeps: 2 adults/2 children
• Max. occupancy: 4 persons

• Area 900 sq ft approx
• Separate kitchen
• 2 bathrooms
• Dining area with table and chairs
• King size bed
• Living area with pull-out sofa bed (n/a with optional twin beds)
• Sleeps: 2 couples in privacy
• Max. occupancy: 4 persons

This resort is great for the entire family and is right on the BEACH, with everything you need within walking distance of the resort. It's only five miles north of the Puerto Vallarta International Airport. All units feature views of Banderas Bay, the marina, and lush tropical gardens. On-site amenities include a full-service HEALTH SPA featuring European wellness programs and treatments, multiple dining experiences, a night club, and water sports.

We love the complex's Mayan theme is reflected in the swimming pools, which have caves and WATERSLIDES. Paradise Village's El Tigre GOLF COURSE and Paradise Plaza shopping center are within walking distance of the resort. Also, enjoy the onsite WILDLIFE PRESERVE featuring rare and endangered species.

If you have kids, they will love the pools, animals in the preserve and the Kids Club.

On-Site
• Air Conditioning (In Units) • Babysitting Referral • Bar/Cocktail Lounge • Beach • Boat Marina/Launching • Car Rentals • Cooking Facilities (In Units) • Day Spa • Entertainment, Live • Exercise Room, Equipped • Fishing • Grocery/Convenience Store • Laundry Facilities • Playground • Restaurant • Sailing/Rentals • Sauna or Steam Room • Swimming Pool, Outdoors • Television (In Units) • Tennis • Waterskiing • Wheelchair Accessible • Whirlpool Spa or Hot Tub

Nearby
• Bicycle Trails • Golf • Horseback Riding • Racquetball • Scuba Diving

Drop me an email (tariq [AT] dopejam.com) if you have any questions or are interested in visiting Paradise.