Features

Swing Depot Addition: VLSolutions

We've just added VLSolutions to the Swing Depot's Component Suites page. They offer Java desktop development consulting and products such as the VLDocking Framework, a library that adds docking features to Swing applications. Don't miss the screenshots and web started demos!
  (Jul 28, 2005)

Project Matisse: An update

I did a demo of Project Matisse for the Austin Java User's Group. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Read on for an update on what it's like to use Project Matisse in its current state.  —  Gregg Sporar
  (2005-07-27T14:43-08:00)

LCD Text: Anti-Aliasing on the Fringe

In this java.net article, Chet Haase describes how the use of RGB striping on LCD monitors enables better-looking, smoother text. LCD text (also known as "subpixel rendered text") isn't new or specific to the Java platform, but it is a cool graphics trick, and it's just been integrated into the Mustang release (Java SE 6).
  (Jul 26, 2005)

Using Java2D to to build a Stacked Image Editor

Joshua shows an interesting editor that he wrote in a few hours to generate stacked image diagrams.  —  Joshua Marinacci
  (2005-07-25T16:57-08:00)

GUI Builders Considered Harmful

Should we "Beware The GUI Builder"?  —  John Reynolds
  (2005-07-25T08:26-08:00)

JDIC@JavaOne 2005 and Deeper Desktop/Java Integration

Beginning with a late report of JDIC at JavaOne 2005, this article takes an exploration of missing features in the scope of desktop/Java integration and solicits inputs to prioritize them to enable deeper desktop/Java Integration.  —  George Zhang
  (2005-07-25T02:58-08:00)

About Plastic Look and Feel

Plastic look and feel looks great but by using some options it can look even better.  —  Romain Guy
  (2005-07-24T00:12-08:00)

How to create scalable icons with Java2D

Next time, instead of bundling multiple differently-sized versions of the same icon with your application, why not create them with Java2D on the fly?  —  Kirill Grouchnikov
  (2005-07-23T00:54-08:00)

Swing Sightings Preview: Maple Mathematics Software from Maplesoft

Maplesoft's Maple is an extremely capable interactive mathematics application with three million users. Originally implemented with C/C++, the GUI is now written in pure Java, including a custom document editor that supports text, mathematical notation, and interactive graphics. Reviews have been very positive. Check out these screenshots: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
  (Jul 22, 2005)

Fold N' Drop

A really great Internal JFrame hack I ran across.  —  Joshua Marinacci
  (2005-07-19T15:44-08:00)

Beware The GUI Builder

We don't agree with this article's point, but the introductory poem is worth a look:
'Twas WYSIWYG, unsightly code
Did file and frumble by the way;
All grinsy were the morrow-knows,
And the dumb sooths outlaid.
  (Jul 19, 2005)

Swing Sightings Preview: Kinabaloo's Java Guru

Kinabaloo Software makes a standalone javadoc viewer called Java Guru, which is also available as part of their TJI IDE. Kinabaloo folks say: "Java Guru provides a fast and versatile way to access the Java API and API documentation...suitable for beginners and advanced users alike." Java Guru is a commercial product (free trial version) and a very small download — only 120KBytes! Check out these screenshots: 1 2 3 4 5
  (Jul 18, 2005)

JavaOne Desktop Report: 20M Brazilians File Tax Returns with Swing Application

This is my final JavaOne 2005 report. It's about the final desktop session on the final day of the conference in which I finally became acquainted with Bruno Souza and a Puppet named Juggy.  —  Hans Muller
  (2005-07-15T15:23-08:00)

STR-Crazier: Performance Improvements in Mustang

Performance of the OpenGL-based Java2D pipeline has improved considerably in recent Mustang builds... And there's still room for improvement. (Pretty chart included...)  —  Chris Campbell
  (2005-07-14T22:18-08:00)

ClientJava.com Interview: Columba - Java Email Client

ClientJava.com interviewed two of the main developers (Timo Stich and Frederik Dietz) of Columba, an open source Java Email Client.
  (Jul 14, 2005)

How did Java end up on top?

Dvorak - "I'm not going to say it's transforming but I'm going to say it's popular."

Locale Sensitive Services SPI

Locale Sensitive Services SPI really means is that third parties can now provide implementations of most locale sensitive classes in the java.text and java.util packages for locales that aren't yet supported by the Java runtime
  (Jul 12, 2005)

JavaOne 2005 Desktop Rehash

I'm still recovering from last week's JavaOne. I really should be sleeping instead of writing this.  —  Chet Haase
  (2005-07-05T09:28-08:00)

Tiger for 5, Mustang for 6, Dolphin for 7. What for 8?

Help Sun decide on the name for Java Standard Edition 8 (due somewhere near late 2009)  —  Kirill Grouchnikov
  (2005-07-03T10:13-08:00)

Featured Project: Joplin

If you saw James Gosling's JavaOne keynote yesterday or were at NetBeans Day the previous Sunday, you saw the Joplin music player when it was built in real-time onstage using the NetBeans/Matisse GUI builder. Please read about the Joplin project and consider joining it!
  (Jul 01, 2005)

swing layout managers and the web..

looks like they're really and finally solving many of the issues that developers have had with layout management in awt/swing. indeed project matisse is receiving much attention. —  Eitan Suez
  (2005-06-30T00:31-08:00)

Java One, Day Three

I started the day in my comfort zone: rich client applications. But then I ventured into two things I want to learn more about: RFID and J2ME.  —  Gregg Sporar
  (2005-06-29T18:28-08:00)

JavaOne Desktop Report: A BIG web started deployment of a BIG banking app.

What does it take to deploy a 120Mbyte web started banking application to over 100,000 desktops? I learned as much today in Matthias Schorer's JavaOne session called "Large Scale Client Deployment Using Java Web Start Software". It was a great session and I made notes.  —  Hans Muller
  (2005-06-29T15:20-08:00)

swing sessions at javaone..

with swing, a common theme for a talk is: tips and tricks to make swing run faster. so some of these talks got me thinking.. —  Eitan Suez
  (2005-06-29T12:34-08:00)

Saverbeans Screensaver Pack 0.2 Released!

After almost exactly one year of waiting, it's finally here. Version 0.2 of the Saverbeans SDK and Saverbeans Screensaver Pack have just been released!  —  Mark Roth
  (2005-06-25T20:34-08:00)

2005, the Year of the Desktop?

JavaOne is imminent and it feels like I will fulfill my passion, Desktop Java.  —  Romain Guy
  (2005-06-25T01:29-08:00)

Getting ready for JavaOne: The Day of the Desktop

Sunday is over and I need to get some sleep, as JavaOne starts for real tomorrow, but I wanted to blog down my thoughts (can blog be a verb now?) before I head off to the land of Nod. —  Joshua Marinacci
  (2005-06-24T22:59-08:00)

java.net breaks through 150,000 member mark

Just 2 years old and over 150,000 registered members later, the java.net community continues to grow and add more reasons for anyone interested in Java to join.  —  John "jbob" Bobowicz
  (2005-06-24T12:52-08:00)

Eat, Drink, and Chip In

If you're at all interested in meeting JDK engineers or contributing fixes/features to the JDK, you'll want to be at the JDK Community Meet and Greet Party. It starts at 6 pm Tuesday, and it's held in a hotel near the JavaOne conference digs. See the invitation for details.
  (Jun 24, 2005)

Columba will have 3 million Indian users

Three million copies of the pure Java Columba email client, along with OpenOffice and Firefox and other open source apps, are being distributed on CDs in India as part of of a program to promote open source software. The most recent release of Columba incorporates the TrayIcon support for the JavaDesktop JDIC project! You can easily try it out using Java Web Start: Run Columba.
  (Jun 24, 2005)

JavaOne Desktop Sessions

The conference looms ahead; best get your schedule figured out before chaos reigns supreme.  —  Chet Haase
  (2005-06-23T08:46-08:00)

Java Deployment @ JavaOne 2005

Hope to see you in San Francisco next week!  —  Stanley Ho
  (2005-06-21T23:52-08:00)

Of Detachable Root Panes and Desktop Hopping

How to build a desktop-hopping JRootPane subclass.  —  Laird Nelson
  (2005-06-20T16:06-08:00)

Featured Project: SwingWorker

The Swing team's Igor Kushnirskiy has just announced on JavaDesktop's Swing forum that you can download a 5.0 version of the SwingWorker API that will be part of JDK 6.0. See the SwingWorker project for details.
  (Jun 20, 2005)

Featured Project: XUI

Today Java.net is featuring the XUI project's explanation of why and how they switched to the Synth look and feel: Synth + SVG give XUI a nice feel. XUI is a framework for building lightweight mobile and desktop AWT or Swing applications via Java and/or XML.
  (Jun 20, 2005)

If You've Got a Name - Check out this Applet

Applets are old and AJAX is new, this blog is long, but there's a link to really cool applet at the end.  —  Hans Muller
  (2005-06-17T13:27-08:00)

Swing Sightings Preview: ObjectVisualizer

ObjectVisualizer is an open-source business intelligence tool that builds upon Object Persistence technology to provide easy-to-use query, reporting, and charting capabilities. Features include: Query, filter, and aggregate data using objects, Interactive Data Table, Report Generation, Chart Creation, and Plugin Architecture. Check out the screenshots: 1 2 3 4
  (Jun 16, 2005)

Mmmmmm VM.....

The SunLabs MVM project is now available on java.net. Grzegorz Czajkowski blogged about it and I thought it might be worth talking about this cool technology from the perspective of desktop applications.  —  Chet Haase
  (2005-06-14T15:45-08:00)

JSR 277: Java Module System

Sun has recently submitted the Java Module System JSR to revise the Java packaging architecture, and I am very exciting to announce that the JCP has begun voting on this JSR!  —  Stanley Ho
  (2005-06-14T12:03-08:00)

Security and networking enhancements in Java Deployment

Find out what security and networking enhancements are coming in Java Web Start and Java Plug-in in Mustang (JavaSE 6)!  —  Stanley Ho
  (2005-06-12T03:02-08:00)

JInspired Article: Table Visualizations

This is the first article in a series looking at the information visualizations found in JInspired's JXInsight J2EE performance management console. Don't miss the screenshots — some of the nicest JTable pictures we've seen. The look and feel is Metal, with a configuration file that changes various colors and border settings.
  (Jun 13, 2005)

Matisse: one step closer to cross platform layout nirvana

Get the skinny on what lies underneath Matisse: NetBeans new forms builder  —  Scott Violet
  (2005-06-10T11:07-08:00)

Jon Lipsky's Weblog

Born in late May, Jon Lipsky's Weblog features techniques you can use in your Swing programs. Today's tip, Using a GlassPane to get feedback about a JFrame, shows how to display transparent, transient information (both pretty and useful) and includes examples (with source code, of course) that you can run with Java Web Start. To see the glass pane technique in action, run this example and move the window it brings up.
  (Jun 10, 2005)

ReportMill 8.0: Java Web Start Success

Jeff Martin posted a nice paean to Java Web Start today on Javalobby, reporting that the third major release of ReportMill 8.0 uses Java Web Start technology. "This not only enriches their user's evaluation experience, but provides a consistent method of updating builds." The Javalobby post gives further details. (We've also saved a copy here.) Here's the link to launch ReportMill.
  (Jun 09, 2005)

Pixel Pushing

Jonathan Simon's latest article for java.net tells how to build pixel-perfect replicas of images such as areas of native components.
  (Jun 08, 2005)

Improved Drag Gesture in Swing

Shannon Hickey marks the occasion of his first step into the blogging world by announcing the exciting release of improved Swing drag gesture recognition, one of the most highly requested J2SE bug fixes.  —  Shannon Hickey
  (2005-06-07T12:22-08:00)