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Groovy Database Can Be a Powerful Tool There are coders all around the world right now working on some of the most challenging coding problems that are out there. They are all likely relying on using Groovy database at least to some extent as this is a major player in the industry. People from all over the world recognize the true power of Groovy database and all that it can provide to them from a coding perspective, but the fact that it is such a powerful tool should not be ignored. If you want to advance very far with Groovy database at all, you will need to make sure you have a firm grasp on what it is and why it is so useful to coders all around the world. How it Compares to Java Most people are familiar with Java and have likely used it in their coding adventures at some point. It is a primary tool that has helped with the coding of numerous projects that you are likely familiar with already. Java is a great place to get started, but it doesn't necessarily compare so well to Groovy when they go head to head. It depends on what you are trying to get done, but the use of Groovy trumps Java for most developers. The reason is that most developers prefer to work with a system that has been specifically created for them. Groovy is that system. Everything that it offers is crafted with the developer in mind, and most agree that it is more user-friendly from a developer's point of view. This means that you don't have to waste your time trying to figure out how to work the very system that you are just trying to make some progress on in the first place. Java users are frequently frustrated by their inability to get as much done as they might like to because they are constantly running into brick walls when it comes to how they develop the systems that they need to develop. Most people significantly prefer it if they are able to cut away everything else and simply get to the root of the problem that they are working on. Then, and only then, can they truly begin to formulate a strategy that will allow them to create something that the world will gravitate towards. I am a big fan of using SQL in java and C# software. I typically dislike the usage of ORM frameworks like Hibernate. I feel that ORMs tend to hide a lot of issues. They also tend to have a higher learning curve. I am not sure that the ROI on deeply learning an ORM is sufficient enough to use. However, there are a lot of pitfalls that come with being so close to the SQL. The largest of which is proper resource handling. If database connections are not closed properly, the application will soon become starved of available connections. This post contains a simple example of using Groovy Categories to help manage the resource management of database connections. There are a lot more robust solutions (ie: GORM), but sometimes you only need a quick implementation. To accomplish our goal, we will be using a static closure defined below. The OpenDatabase class is merely a container for the closure. I think the final implementation of the code reads nicely because of the name. OpenDatabase.groovy import groovy.sql.Sql class OpenDatabase { def static with = { DbConnection conn, Closure closure -> Sql sql try { sql = conn.getConnection() if (closure) { closure(sql) } } finally { sql.close() } } } The DbConnection class is a simple interface for creating the groovy.sql.Sql object. DbConnection.groovy import groovy.sql.Sql; public interface DbConnection { Sql getConnection(); } Below is the sample usage of these two classes. OpenDatabase.with(dbConnector) { sql -> sql.execute("insert into BLAH...") } The database connection will be closed after closure exits. Simple, easy resource handling. The groovy way. The original article can be found at http://www.greenmoonsoftware.com/2014/04/groovy-database-resource-handling/ Applying Mass Data to Problems One of the upsides to Groovy database handling is that you don't always hear about is the fact that you can apply massive amounts of data to the issues that you are attempting to take care of today. The beauty of this is the fact that much of that data will prove very useful to you as you work on trying to figure out exactly what it is that people want from your projects. The more data you have, and the more data that you can apply, the better the outcome will be for yourself and others. Groovy allows you to input all of the data that you require all at once so you aren't constantly left struggling to try to figure out which steps you need to take next and how you will get things done. Simply use Groovy to get the results that you need, and you will be all set. A large amount of data is always preferable to use because it will help you figure out what is truly going on within the scope of what you are working on. Any single piece of data could be an outlier, but when you have a major data dump to go through, you know that you are getting the most relevant information right away. Endless Possibilities Groovy has made it so much easier for developers to work out what they will do to get their code set up just right that it has truly performed an amazing service that we should all be grateful for. This is why we need to note that the possibilities are virtually endless when working with Groovy and the tools that this service has provided. It is a very big deal when you get your code to sync up just perfectly, and that is what you get when you use the Groovy system. There are now so many people working within the system that it has grown much larger than some of its competitors. That is why we anticipate that many interesting developments are going to come out of it. When you have that many people working that hard all within the same system, you are generally going to get some pretty outstanding results to come out of this. You need to account for that fact and understand that there are numerous upsides to using a system that works just like that. A Great Place for Starters Those who are just taking on the coding world for the first time need to look at Groovy as the kind of place where they can start to hone their skills. It is not necessarily the first area that people necessarily think of when they are looking over different coding programs to get started with, but it is where they should begin. The controls are so much more refined for the kind of person who is just getting started, and that means that it is the ideal training ground for someone who is truly eager to learn the system and get to work within it. People who are just starting their coding journey should be excited to have the resources available to them to get started in this way. It can all prove extremely useful in the long run.

Java is changing the world around us in major ways. Here is how.

If you wonder what a JMF player is, you are in the right spot. We've noticed that many aspiring developers want to try it out but are unsure how it works. Hence, we decided to put together this guide to make things a tad easier for you. package org.jmf.example; import javax.swing.JDialog; import javax.swing.JFrame; import javax.swing.UIManager; import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException; import javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel; public class ExampleJMF { public static void main(String[] args) { JFrame.setDefaultLookAndFeelDecorated(true); JDialog.setDefaultLookAndFeelDecorated(true); try { UIManager.setLookAndFeel(new MetalLookAndFeel()); } catch(UnsupportedLookAndFeelException e) { e.printStackTrace(); } new exampleFrame(); } } But before we dive into it, let's answer this crucial question: What is Java? Java is a high-level language that programmers use to develop projects with few implementation dependencies. Java has transformed the web in many ways. A vast majority of online tools that we use today were built on Java. That includes websites mobile apps and multimedia playback platforms. This programming language has come a long way. This year it will be 27 years since James Gosling developed it. What is a Java Media Framework JMF is an API that enables you to play, process, and capture media audio and video. Whether you want to transmit or receive live media broadcasts and conduct videoconferences, you can easily do it thanks to this API. All thanks to RTP ”Real-time Transport Protocol of the JMF. A JMF is a straightforward player that encapsulates your multimedia component and allows you to control your player. It also offers methods that enable you to acquire necessary resources and query the current state. These are tools you will use to build page objects. For instance, if you want to scan the page and create a class. Here is what Java Media Framework can do: A multifunctional tool A JMF comes in handy, especially if you're looking for a tool that can scan a page and build a class. You can also use it to create prototype code and later build a robust application. Instrumentalization A lot of what you read about the topic of Observability mentions the benefits and potential of analyzing data, but little about how you collect it. This process is called “instrumentation” and broadly involves collecting events in infrastructure and code that include metrics, logs, and traces. There are of course dozens of methods, frameworks, and tools to help you collect the events that are important to you, and this post begins a series looking at some of those. This post focuses on introductory concepts, setting up the dependencies needed, and generating some basic metrics. Later posts will take these concepts further. An Introduction to Metrics Data Different vendors and open source projects created their own ways to represent the event data they collect. While this remains true, there are increased efforts to create portable standards that everyone can use and add their features on top of but retain interoperability. The key project is OpenTelemetry from the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). This blog series will use the OpenTelemetry specification and SDKs, but collect and export a variety of the formats it handles. The Application Example The example for this post is an ExpressJS application that serves API endpoints and exports Prometheus-compatible metrics. The tutorial starts by adding basic instrumentation and sending metrics to a Prometheus backend, then adds more, and adds the Chronosphere collector. You can find the full and final code on GitHub. Install and Setup ExpressJS ExpressJS provides a lot of boilerplate for creating a JavaScript application that serves HTTP endpoints, so it is a great starting point. Add it to a new project by following the install steps. Capture media streams Not only does the JMF allows you to play music, but you can use it to capture media content as well. And all this will happen while you process and capture it from a source to a destination. You'll then identify each media stream by its content format. From there, the JMF will present the content of that specific video stream. Each media stream will have at least one or more tracks that you can play. Identify each media stream by location You can either identify your media stream by using uniform resource locators (URLs) or media locators. It doesn't matter how you locate them. What matters most is that you wouldn't struggle to identify each media stream. Process Time Bases and Clocks You can also play time-based media, or capture them at an accurate time. To achieve this, JMF requires time-bases and clocks. So, without a thorough understanding of time bases and clocks, you won't be able to work with JMF. While at it, use the below 1. Eliminate Unused Tables Usually, when you remove or deactivate a plugin, all the database tables remain. This can be a good thing, as you retain all the user information, preferences, and other data. However, in most cases, you’re left with a cumbersome dataset that may bring your server’s performance down. If you’re using WordPress, you can get rid of leftover tables by installing a plugin called Plugins Garbage Collector. It scans your database for any unused tables, and you can delete the ones that you know aren’t needed. A more hands-on approach is finding inactive tables using the UPDATE_TIME string. 2. Create an Execution Plan The execution plan’s main goal is to display the various methods of retrieving data by containing the operation's type and order when creating a query. If you’re not familiar with execution plans, here’s a video going through the basics. The typical execution plan includes the following: Types of operations Order of operations Indexes to use Row count estimates from stats Row count actual from results 3. Use Proper Indexing Indexing allows for faster access to the database and speeds up the queries. If you don’t use indexes at all, then processing the queries becomes painfully slow. Yet, over-indexing your database is also ineffective. Unfortunately, there isn’t a golden rule for optimizing your database the right way. However, with some trial and error, your database benefits from an index system. 4. Avoid Coding Loops A SQL query that runs more than once is inefficient and can cause unnecessary performance issues, which pile up quickly, especially with large datasets. In essence, moving a query outside a loop with the goal of it executing only once is the way to go. There are a couple of nifty solutions to achieve this. Use JOIN and GROUP BY to select data from multiple tables and have the database perform the counting with a single query. This is especially effective for multiple queries, including COUNT and MAX clauses. 5. Get Rid of Correlated Subqueries Correlated subqueries are essentially coding loops. The subquery runs row-by-row until it satisfies the parent statement. This method of processing is useful when the outcome relies on multi-part answer validation. You can avoid the correlated subqueries by using JOIN clauses, which makes the query run more efficiently. Essentially, this method replaces WHERE and removes the necessity to execute the subquery for each row separa 6. Avoid * Queries The ultimate goal of every query is to retrieve relevant data for maximum efficiency. However, it’s relatively common to use SELECT * clauses when creating a query resulting in unnecessary data. While it doesn’t play a massive role in the performance of small datasets, it can leave a significant dent in larger ones. Selecting the data sparingly helps with optimizing the query speed and reduces resource usage. A quick way to turn this issue around is using the LIMIT clause instead of SELECT *. This way, you limit the output of the query results unless you do need the entire dataset retrieved by the query.

It has often been remarked that IE is a headache for developers -- in part because Microsoft tends to prefer its own versions of web standards. With IE10, take advantage of the evolution of web standards with even more HTML5 access and features. The Retirement of Internet Explorer On the other hand, quite a few 'modern' web technologies -- including XHR -- were originally Microsoft innovations, only later adopted by..well, everyone else. Today, Microsoft has a brand new version, known as Microsoft Edge, as Internet Explorer 11 is set to be retired on June 15th, 2022, meaning there will no longer be support provided for users or developers alike. While in some fundamental ways, IE9 actually handled what it was meant to handle fairly well -- Chakra, for example, shows that IE9 uses less CPU time and RAM than Chrome, under Windows. Even today, Microsoft Edge clocks in at using around 600-800 MB of RAM compared to Google Chrome's 1.4 GB just for one browser window. Of course, in terms of support for emerging web standards, IE9 lagged well behind its competitors. IE9 may have done some things well, but it did not do as many things as other browsers do (even if it did some cool things, like pinned sites that other browsers don't). Advantages of Using IE10 While using Internet Explorer has not been in style for more than a decade, it is still used by many people from around the world, especially those who do not have access to updated software or hardware. Even if IE10 is not your preferred browser to work in, ensuring any website or software application that is programmed is compatible with Internet Explorer 10 is essential. Some of the advantages of using IE10 include: Speed: IE10 has been updated for improved performance and speed. With Internet Explorer 10, you can enjoy fast loading speeds when browsing and when developing projects of your own. User-friendly: Fortunately, the latest version of Internet Explorer is extremely user-friendly with an updated interface for easy and straightforward navigation. Tab implementation: With Internet Explorer 10, you can also use tabs easily and with minimal effort. Tab implementation helps developers to work in various areas with numerous websites open simultaneously without closing another window. Pinned sites: Use the new 'Pinned Sites' feature from Internet Explorer 10 to keep track of favorite websites or websites that are useful for resources and tools while programming. Memory usage: If you are concerned about how much memory your browser is using, IE10 is typically a safe and smaller choice compared to alternative browsers such as Google Chrome. On average, Google Chrome can use anywhere between 300 MB and 1GB of memory just while browsing online. With Internet Explorer 10, you have the ability to cut the memory usage in half in most instances. Flash add-on: There are enhanced add-ons available for Flash with Internet Explorer 10 for those who are interested in loading web pages with Flash or working with Flash during development. Development tools: If you enjoyed Internet Explorer 9's Developer Tools, you will be relieved to know that Internet Explorer 10 has kept the same F12 Developer Tools for quick and easy access. However, keep in mind that it is difficult to test a site that has been hosted on your machine with Internet Explorer 10 without a manual workaround. When using Developer Tools, Internet Explorer 10 automatically switches the pages you are working in into a compatibility mode by default, making it a bit more difficult to test pages locally without uploading them to your own web server(s). Drawbacks of IE10 Unfortunately, as with any piece of software, there are also drawbacks to using Internet Explorer 10, even for those who are truly committed to Microsoft's creations. The most notable drawbacks of using IE10 to program, develop, or browse include: Lack of Flash: With Internet Explorer 10, there is no built-in Flash player or Flash support, which can make it difficult to load websites with Flash players or with Flash animations built-in to the site itself. While Flash is not inherently supported by Internet Explorer 10, it is possible to use and access Flash-based websites and applications with an Internet Explorer 10 add-on designed for enhanced Flash performance. Lack of PDF support: Unfortunately, it is not possible to load previews or entire PDFs when using Internet Explorer, even when you are using the most updated version of the browser. There is no PDF reader with IE10 available, which can make it difficult to access a variety of documents, for work or for personal use. Outdated: Now that Internet Explorer 10 is being retired, it is considered an outdated piece of software. With little to no future updates being rolled out by Microsoft, Internet Explorer 10 will no longer provide additional features, add-ons, or plugins that may be relevant to the development or working with HTML5. IE10: Now With More HTML5 But Microsoft promised big changes for IE10, and made available a developer preview to prove it. Diving into HTML5 can provide an array of new features for developers and designers alike. This preview includes considerably expanded HTML5 support, and (most impressive to me) leverages hardware acceleration (ala Chakra) to speed up graphical technologies (e.g., SVG, CSS3 transforms) -- check out the embedded video in the full announcement. Microsoft highlighted a few specific HTML5 features, newly available in this developer preview: Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) for safe use of XMLHttpRequest across domains. File API Writer support for blobBuilder allowing manipulation of large binary objects in script in the browser. Support for JavaScript typed arrays for efficient storage and manipulation of typed data. CSS user-select property to control how end-users select elements in a Web page or application. Support for HTML5 video text captioning, including time-code, placement, and captioning file formats. Great operating system integration for various operating systems available today A Metro mode is also available for those working from touchscreen smartphones and tablet devices to browse and/or to develop Additional HTML 5 features supported by IE10 include: File reader API Forms validation Drag and drop solutions IFrame support for sandbox attributes CSS3 gradients Flexbox Improvements that have been made to the IE10 browser that are beneficial to developers include: The ability to run script (Web Workers API) in the background with frontend impact JavaScript 5 support (adds the method JSON.parse to objects) The browser's Flash player is no longer a plugin, but is a built-in element of the browser itself. The "Do Not Track" feature is automatically enabled by default, which can prevent ad trackers from harnessing web browsing data from users. The full documentation of IE10's HTML5 support is here, and the rest of the developer documentation here. While it seems like just yesterday, on October 26th, 2012, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 10, it's time for support has come to an end. It is important to keep in mind that further support will no longer be available for any versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer following the official retirement of the browser on June 15th, 2022.

Animation Brings a Whole New World to Life Where would we be without animators helping us see the world in a whole new light? It seems that we easily forget the hard work that these people do, and that is truly a tragedy. There are so many people helping us see the world for the way that it truly is, and we should be thankful and respectful of the hard work that they are doing. That is why we also have to ask ourselves if we should be using CSS3 Transitions or jQuery Animate when looking for the right program to do our animation work in. You might think that animation is just something used to create children's movies and television shows, but that isn’t quite right. It has a wide range of uses in our world today (more on this later), and we are increasingly coming to rely on it to make critical decisions about how we move forward on some of the most important decisions that we have to make to keep our world moving forward the way that we want it to. Take some time to step back and recognize all that animation has brought us, and this will help you better understand why there are a lot of people who are pushing to figure out which software programs can bring them the best animation outcomes. Rich Bradshaw has written a detailed tutorial series on CSS Transitions, Transforms, and Animation. That alone is worth reading; but in case you weren't convinced, Rich also put together a little (and maybe a little unfair) performance comparison: A head to head comparison of CSS transitions and jQuery's animate. Rather than setting a timer to run repeatedly, transitions are handled natively by the browser. In my rather unscientific testing, transitions are always quicker, running with a higher frame rate, especially with high numbers of elements. They also have the advantage that colours can be animated easily, rather than having to rely on plugins. Putting it All to the Test The best way to compare the two programs against one another is to put them through a series of simulated tests that allow each program to prove what it has going for it. Believe it or not, that is exactly what some people have done. They work with the two programs to see how they adapt and react when put under various testing conditions. By doing exactly that, the programs must prove themselves in the sense that they are forced to show that they can keep up with rapid changes and shifts in the dynamics of the work thrown at them. These tests can all be sped up by using computer simulations to run the tests instead of putting actual work done by a human being through the testing period. You will find that there is a lot to be gained by going through all of this and figuring out just how much each system can potentially get through. You don't want to use something that is sub-par compared to the other programs on offer out there, and that is why we are all so grateful that there are people who are willing to work with both programs to test them and see what the ultimate outcome really is for each. Unsurprising Results You should not be shocked to learn that CSS3 Transitions is the better program to use. It has a more seamless transition from image to image, and the speed with which it can process all of that data is truly amazing as well. The fact that there are multiple programs available for us to choose from is a great thing, but there is really no competition between CSS3 Transitions and jQuery Animate. The CSS3 Transitions program has been around for a lot longer, and it has the ability to get results from its users much more easily. The results probably won't surprise you, and the conclusion is inevitable ('use CSS3 for animation when you can') but Rich's analysis (scroll down), using the Timeline view in the Webkit Inspector, is pretty neat: (Actually, the Timeline is pretty neat, period. I didn't know about it until now..sweet.) So check out Rich's test and performance discussion, and maybe use Webkit Inspector's Timeline for performance fine-tuning in the future. Animation Into the Future The tools that are used in the world of animation are going to continue to be called upon to help creators do the challenging work that they do. The demand for animated films and television series has not ceased, but the usefulness of animation goes far beyond being entertained. There are uses for animation in simulations of all kinds. Even the military uses animation to simulate certain battlefield conditions and other concerns that they know are relevant to their operations. It is something that has helped them sort out how they can best move forward with their plan of action whenever the need arises. Put another way, the military uses animation to make sure they are never caught off guard. Courtrooms are seeing an increasing amount of animation used in presentations put on both by prosecutors and defense counsel alike. They make reenactments of various aspects of an alleged crime using animation to help a jury see how they claim that things happened from their point of view. There are a lot of reasons why this helps juries to understand their point of view more completely. CSS3 technology is helping to make the use of animation more widespread and available to a larger number of people across all walks of life. It appears likely that this trend will continue, and there are many people who are counting on using CSS3 technology for several projects that they have in the works at this time. We should all celebrate the fact that such technology is making animation more accessible. Using the Best Programs Doesn’t Have to Be Costly One more thing to keep in mind when you look for the best programs for animation purposes is this: They don’t have to be costly. Many programs are free and/or open-source. Even the ones that you have to pay for aren’t necessarily wildly expensive. They provide a huge ROI when you put them to use, and that alone should get you to understand why they are so important to use. Make sure you consider this and consider the options that are before you when it comes to selecting an animation program that will do the work you need it to do. The last thing in the world that you want to have to happen is to produce lower-quality animation just because you insisted on trying to save a few dollars by going with a less expensive animation program.

Some of the major announcements from the W3C over the past week on making the web more accessible and powerful as a publishing platform.

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When Apple finally released Java 6 for Mac OS 10.5.2, the Java community was more than a little upset. Java 6 only supports 64 Bit on Mac No Cocoa Support What to Do About Java 6 on Mac Using Java on Mac in 2022 What’s Changed Since Java 6 Where is Java on Mac Headed? The history of Java releases on Mac has been more than a little problematic. New updates for Java always find their way to Mac a few years too late and they are often more limited than their Linux and Windows counterparts. Let’s see how Java 6 on Mac stacked up and take a look at the latest Java release for mac and see how it compares. Java 6 on Mac Only Supports 64 Bit This means that Java 6 doesn't run on 1-year-old MacBooks or all early adopters of the Intel switch. A huge amount of people can't run 64-bit. Java 6 on Mac requires much more specific technology than Java 6 did on any of its counterparts. We tend to have a lot of opinions about how to code differently with Java, but we can all agree that Java 6 didn’t really work for Mac. Another problem is that it only supports 64-bit applications, Bye-bye applets in Safari. These are huge setbacks for people who were looking forward to Java on Mac, but the problems didn’t stop here. No Cocoa Support Because of the lack of 64-bit libraries for cocoa, it is not possible to use cocoa with Java 6. Nearly every Java application on Macs uses cocoa to make it look better on Mac OS. Some even are 100% cocoa, like Cyberduck. Because of that, only a small percentage of Java applications can run on Java 6. Java 6 really needed more Mac-specific support in order to function like it did on Windows or Linux. In fact, you have a better chance of performance tuning Java on Linux than you did on a Mac. Apple Knows This Apple is well aware of these problems. The update doesn't make Java 6 the default VM. Apple's preferences dialog even warns you if you want to make it the default VM. Having Apple and Java clash like this only made things more difficult for people working with Java on a Mac. So, What To Do Now? Options were limited for working with Java 6 on Mac. What made Java 6 on Mac even worse was the lack of any good workarounds or alternatives. You either had to commit to a limited system or try something a little involved. These are your options. We only have three choices from here: Switch back to Windows / Linux for Java development Use SoyLatte and help them to create the native GUI pipeline Ask Apple to fix these issues In the long term, no. 2 would be the best. A Java implementation by a large community would have faster release times. We can't wait for Apple to fix these issues—we have to do it ourselves. Getting Java 6 to turn on Mac requires some pretty advanced Java tutorials. Now, let’s take a look at what’s changed since Java 6. Using Java on Mac in 2022 In terms of running Java on Mac, so much has changed since Java 6. In fact, it would be just a few years until the release of Java 7 things completely changed for working with Java and working on an Apple computer. We're going to take a look at some of these specific changes and just see how the landscape of using Java on a Mac has changed from Java 6 all the way to Java 17. Using Java has only gotten more developed as the years have gone by. After all, becoming a Java developer starts with getting Java running on your Mac! What’s Changed Since Java 6 on Mac If you were trying to use Java on Mac since Java 6, you were up against a lot of trouble. You'd have to either settle for a Java that didn't perform nearly as well as it did online up to your PC or go through a bunch of complicated workarounds and still be stuck without all the features. What's important to keep in mind is that Java is more important today than it's ever been. While you might hear some people saying that Java is on the way out, Java still has plenty of use and pops up everything from popular applications, to websites, and it is a highly preferred language for programmers the world over. Java Becomes Mac Native All the DIY fixes in the world couldn't get us ahead for making Java work on Mac. However, things would have quickly changed with the release of Java 7. Starting with Java 7, Java releases work with Apple technology as long as the systems are compatible. You can run compatible editions of Java with your Mac laptop or computer. It all depends on whether or not the specs of your Mac match up with the edition of Java you want to run. Here’s where to start to find some familiar limitations for using Java on a Mac. There are Still Limitations (Java, Intel, and Mac) Even though Java runs on Mac after Java 7, there are still some problems with trying to get Java to run on Apple's technology. If you’re looking for the best toolkits, tips, and tricks for Java, you’re going to need to get it running first! Despite all the advances that are made, you're still going to encounter a few problems with trying to get Java to run on a Mac. The first thing that we have to talk about is that Java is designed to work with the Intel processor versions of Mac. Now that Mac is coming out with their own processor chips, we're seeing compatibility issues with Java and plenty of other technology that people rely on. Apple's desire to keep everything proprietary and stay in a closed sandbox is definitely costing them when it comes to reliably working with some of today's most popular technology. There are also issues when it comes to which Mac operating system you're using. There's a good chance that your Java version might not be compatible with the Mac computer that you're working with depending on the operating system that that Mac runs. Where Things Are Headed for Java on Mac There is good news for the future though. As Apple’s processor technology becomes more popular, more software is going to become compatible. Java is likely to follow suit with Adobe and plenty of others working to find ways to work with Mac’s M1 processors.

A customer recently brought to me a unique challenge. My customer wants information request form data to be collected in a database.

Sun released update 14 of the Java 6 JDK and JRE. As well as the usual collection of bug fixes, this release includes some experimental new features designed to improve the performance of the JVM (see the release notes). One of these is Escape Analysis. What Is Escape Analysis? Escape analysis is a compiler optimization technique that analyzes an object's access path to determine whether or not it is escaped from its current scope. If an object is not escaped, then the compiler can allocate it on the stack rather than on the heap. This eliminates the need for memory allocation and garbage collection for the object, which can improve performance. Allocating on Heap Vs the Stack To understand the implications of allocating an object on the stack or heap, it is first necessary to understand how these two data structures work. The heap is a pool of memory that is managed by the JVM. When an object is created, it is allocated a space on the heap. The size of this space depends on the object's type and the fields it contains. The stack is a data structure that is used to store local variables and function call information. When a function is called, its parameters and local variables are stored on the stack. When the function returns, these variables are popped off the stack. Allocating an object on the heap requires two operations: The object is allocated a space on the heap. The object's reference (a pointer to its location on the heap) is stored on the stack. Allocating an object on the stack requires only one operation: The object is allocated a space on the stack. Because allocating an object on the heap requires an extra operation, it is generally slower than allocating on the stack. In addition, heap allocation requires the JVM to manage the memory used by the object. This includes finding a free block of memory of the appropriate size and dealing with fragmentation. Stack allocation does not require any memory management, as the stack is managed by the operating system. What Is a Compiler? A compiler is a program that converts code written in one language (usually called the source language) into another language (usually called the target language). The target language can be either machine code or another high-level programming language. In Java 6 Update 14, escape analysis was turned off by default but could be enabled by passing the -XX:+DoEscapeAnalysis flag to the java command. However, now Escape analysis is supported and enabled by default in Java SE 6u23 and later. What Is An Object? In Java, an object is a self-contained unit of functionality that can be created and used independently. A typical object consists of both data and behavior. Data is represented by fields (also called member variables or instance variables), and behavior is represented by methods. You can think of an object as a "thing" that can perform certain actions and contains certain information. For example, a car is an object that can be driven (behavior) and has a color (data). Why Is Escape Analysis Important Today? Escape analysis is important because it can improve performance by eliminating the need for memory allocation and garbage collection for certain objects. When we say "garbage collection", that refers to the process of reclaiming memory that is no longer being used by the program. In general, garbage collection can be a CPU-intensive operation, so eliminating it can improve performance. Any time you can avoid allocating memory and/or doing garbage collection, your program will run faster. What Are Some Examples of Objects That Can Benefit from Escape Analysis? Small objects that are created and used within a single method can often benefit from escape analysis. For example, consider the following code: public static void main(String[] args) { String s = "Hello, world!"; System.out.println(s); } In this code, the String object created on line 3 is not escaped. It is created within the main method and is used only within that method. As a result, the String object can be allocated on the stack rather than on the heap. This eliminates the need for memory allocation and garbage collection for that object. How Does Escape Analysis Work? To determine whether or not an object is escaped, the compiler uses a flow-sensitive, interprocedural analysis. This means that the compiler not only analyzes the code within a single method but also looks at how the object is used in other methods that are called from the current method. If an object is only used within the scope of a single method and is never passed as an argument to another method, then it is not escaped. For example, consider the following code: public class MyClass { public static void main(String[] args) { MyClass obj = new MyClass(); obj.method1(); } public void method1() { int x = 5; method2(x); } public void method2(int y) { int z = y * 2; } } In this code, the MyClass object is created in the main method and passed as an argument to the method1 method. The method1 method then creates a local variable x and passes it as an argument to the method2 method. The MyClass object is therefore escaped because it is used in another method (method2) that is called from the current method (method1). In contrast, the local variable x is not escaped, because it is only used within the scope of the method1 method. When Should I Use Escape Analysis? Escape analysis can be used to improve the performance of any Java application. It helps to reduce the memory footprint. It is most effective when objects are short-lived and are only used within a single method. To see what kind of impact escape analysis might have on my applications, I decided to try it on a couple of my more CPU-intensive Java programs. Escape analysis is turned off by default since it is still experimental. It is enabled using the following command-line option: -XX:+DoEscapeAnalysis Benchmark 1 The first program I tested is a statistical simulation. Basically, it generates millions of random numbers (using Uncommons Maths naturally) and does a few calculations. VM Switches: -server 95 seconds VM Switches: -server -XX:+DoEscapeAnalysis 73 seconds Performance improvement using Escape Analysis: 23% Benchmark 2 The second program I tested is an implementation of non-negative matrix factorisation. VM Switches: -server 22.6 seconds VM Switches: -server -XX:+DoEscapeAnalysis 20.8 seconds Performance improvement using Escape Analysis: 8% In both cases, escape analysis gave a noticeable performance improvement. I was quite surprised by how much of an improvement I saw in the first benchmark. I wasn't expecting to see anything like that. Escape analysis is an important tool in the JVM performance tuner's armory and it's good to see that it is being improved and refined in each new release of the JDK. Are There Other Ways To Reduce Memory Footprint in Java? Yes, there are other ways to reduce the memory footprint in Java. One way is to use object pooling. Object pooling is a technique for reusing objects that have already been created. Another way is to use a generational garbage collector. A generational garbage collector is designed to collect short-lived objects more efficiently than long-lived objects. Finally, you can use a compacting garbage collector. A compacting garbage collector moves objects around in memory so that there are fewer gaps between objects. This can help to reduce memory fragmentation. Conclusions These benchmarks are neither representative nor comprehensive. Nevertheless, for certain types of programs, the addition of escape analysis appears to be another significant step forward in JVM performance. In conclusion, although escape analysis is still experimental, it is definitely worth experimenting with in your own applications. If you are interested in learning more about escape analysis, I highly recommend reading about it further on Dzone.

When moving around from page to page in your trusty browser, you get the benefit of hovering over links and viewing the link's target URL in the status bar. When it comes to page printouts, however, this obviously isn't an option. Most website printouts simply show the link as text with an underline. What good is that? Links Should be Printable One of the key elements that many people forget about when they are creating a web page of any kind is the fact that they should be making the links that are inserted printable. You see, there are many people who will want to check out the information and research that you are providing them via the links inserted into your page. Unfortunately, they may not be able to look at those links as completely as they might want to if you are not making it easy and possible for them to print off the links. Making links printable is a matter of getting into the CSS code and looking to make sure that any URLs that you have inserted are truly printable for your audience. It is fully expected that you will take the time to do this for the people who have bothered to show up and read your materials. Truthfully, you owe them a sign of your appreciation for having come to see what you are creating in the first place. Internet Explorer Often Ignores the Code One thing to keep in mind when you begin to mess around with the CSS codes for your URLs is that it is entirely possible that Internet Explorer will ignore the codes that you put in there if you don't get them just right. Internet Explorer is set up in such a way that it will ignore certain lines of code and other materials that people insert into their websites if Internet Explorer feels that the code is not relevant. This is why you must be on top of everything to make sure Internet Explorer does force your code out when you know for a fact that the code that you are using is incredibly important to the usefulness of your website. To provide extra help to your content viewers, you may want to include a snippet of information that lets them know that Internet Explorer may cause some problems when they are trying to print off links in the article. A quick line or two that encourages them to use a different Internet portal such as Firefox or Google Chrome may prove beneficial to all of your readers. They need access to your information, but they may struggle to get it if they are only using Internet Explorer. Sadly, they may not even realize that this is a problem unless you point it out by making it clear that they need to switch browsers in order to print off the information that they require. Take some time to throw in a quick line about why users need to shift over to using a browser other than Internet Explorer to get the information that they require. If you do this, then they will be able to finally get the information you are providing without getting jammed up simply because of the browser they are using. One simple line and you can help fix so many of the problems that they are facing. Providing URLs for links in the print version of your page can be extremely helpful to the reader. Using a small snippet of CSS code, you can get printouts to display link URLs right next to the link text. The CSS Code a:link:after, a:visited:after { content:" [" attr(href) "] "; } The pitfall of this method of displaying links URLs for print is that Internet Explorer ignores this code. If showing link URLs is critical, I'd recommend using a javascript alternative. If not, add this snippet to your print stylesheet to make your page print-outs more informative. Click here for an example! JavaScript Alternatives Can Help There are situations in which JavaScript alternatives can help you get around the auto-blockers that Internet Explorer has put up on some of these codes. You may need to work around the traditional system in order to get the results that you need, but you should have a lot of success getting the code to look just the way you need it to if you use some alternative programs to achieve your results. Sometimes, you just have to think outside of the box like this to get around the barriers that sadly exist within the computing space. We can all hope for a day when there aren't so many layers of protectionism between ourselves and the things that we want to put up on the Internet. If we can just use some of the tools at our disposal as far as JavaScript alternatives and the like are concerned, then we may be able to make some progress in the right direction. It is a challenge to be sure, but there are a lot of ways that we might be able to build a better Internet and a better world in general. Does Printing Still Matter for Links? There are different schools of thought about how important the ability to print something off still is to people, but most land on the assumption that it is better to have printing abilities than to not have them. People sometimes want to print something off so they can view it on their own time and even hand the printed copy off to someone else that they know that they believe might benefit from it as well. Why would you want to deny them the ability to do this? The CSS code that is used on your links will be extremely important to the final ability of someone else to use it to print off what they see on the screen. This is why you should be extra careful to make sure the code is written just right. There are situations in which your viewers may delight in the information that you provide them, but they may not have Internet access everywhere that they go. If they need to pull up your information without access to the Internet, then it is necessary for them to print off the files that they need from you. Thus, you might want to spend some time getting your links into a form that allows them to be printable. Not everyone who visits your website will care about printing something off, but the people that do care about it will notice the steps you took to make this possible for them, and they will surely appreciate what you have done for them.

Putting Together the Best of Both Worlds One of the things that people like so much about JavaFx is the fact that it has a suite of powerful tools used by designers and creators to get exactly the kind of look and feel that they desire from their creations. When used properly, JavaFX will change the way that you take care of your biggest technology challenges. That is why it is such a powerful product to use, and that is also why people around the world recommend it for the value that it can add to your work. A few of the features that are included are: WebView Java APIs High-Performance Media Engine Multitouch Support Canvas API These are just a few of the things that JavaFx has going for it. Truly, it is a powerful engine that people use to help make sure their media creations are something that people will stand up for and take note of. The truth is, no matter who you are or what your intentions are for the use of Java in your life, the JavaFX combined with Java itself is the way to go. while experimenting with javafx, remember that java is never far away. in this case, let's call out to : here we go, here's all that's needed, via the scripting api, which is included in the javafx sdk: package calc; import java.io.inputstreamreader; import javax.script.scriptengine; import javax.script.scriptenginemanager; import javax.script.scriptexception; public class calculatorlauncher { public static void main(string[] args) { try { scriptenginemanager manager = new scriptenginemanager(); scriptengine engine = manager.getenginebyextension("fx"); inputstreamreader reader = new inputstreamreader(calculatorlauncher.class.getresourceasstream("calculator.fx")); engine.eval(reader); } catch (scriptexception ex) { } } } and so, here's my whole application, calling jim weaver's calculator demo: What is even better would be to be able to embed that JavaFX stage (or a panel-like part thereof?) into a JFrame. then one would have the best of both worlds: the graphic "oomph" of JavaFX, together with the daily low-level grunt work of java. that, I believe (and hope), is the promise of JavaFX for java developers (and groovy developers), as opposed to designers and similar graphic artists, who seem to be the primary target of JavaFX. Day-to-Day Grind Work One thing that people absolutely love about Java itself is that it allows them to get the day-to-day grunt work done that they need to be done. They are able to see real progress on a daily basis simply by using Java to help propel their best efforts into the world. Yes, there are not as many bells and whistles with Java as there are with JavaFx and other tools, but that just means that there is more to combine with Java to get it to do all that you want it to do. Using JavaFX and Java together can help get more done. This is an innovative approach because it means that they are able to use the bells and whistles of JavaFx incorporated into the practicality of Java itself. Bringing those two things together is a great way for everyday people to achieve results in their work that they would not normally have believed was possible. We do need to recognize the fact that there are many great resources that Java can be used for, but it is also the case that JavaFx simply gives it the extra push that it needs to be a great computing program all around. We would be remiss if we didn’t combine the two things together for optimal use. Does JavaFX Makes Sense For Business Applications? There is still a lot of debate about how much sense it makes to use JavaFX for business applications. On the one hand, there are a lot of people who prefer this as their technology of choice. However, there are some others that say that it is too buggy and can’t handle all of the data that is required for a business operation to run smoothly. What people really like about JavaFx is the fact that it can be used on a “zero installation” basis. This means that it doesn’t need to dig deep into your databases and systems in order to function the way that it is supposed to. That is a pretty big deal because you may find it quite irritating to try to deal with systems that constantly request permissions from you to get deeper and deeper into sensitive data. JavaFX doesn’t do that. However, there is a trade-off. The fact that JavaFX doesn’t need to be as deep into your company’s systems also means that it doesn’t necessarily have the computing power that you may require to fun every operation that you need it to. That means that there could be unnecessary crashes and delays when you attempt to use this system as a standalone program. Does Combining It With Java Help? Some of the issues that are seen with JavaFx may be relieved by the fact that you can also use plain old Java to help make things run a little more smoothly. That’s right, you can combine the Java platform that you are already familiar with to let it latch on to the JavaFx system and generate results that way. You may see fewer system errors and hang-ups when you use this older piece of software to aid the JavaFx system. Regular Java does require more permissions to your data, but that may be a trade-off that you are willing to make if you understand that the upsides are potentially quite enormous for you. Think about your options carefully and then make a decision. Unless you are guarding particularly sensitive data at your company, it probably makes sense to go forward with the plan to get JavaFx and Java combined into the rotation of programs that you use. Innovation Is At Your Fingertips There is plenty of excitement and buzz about the possibilities that JavaFx can bring to the world of business. People are looking at it and starting to realize that there are many ways that it may be used as an innovation machine. They are particularly excited that there are more options than ever available to them and that they can see the ways in which this system may be used to generate outsized business opportunities both for the company that they work for as well as for themselves. If you haven’t had the chance to try the JavaFx system for yourself yet, you need to give it a shot. There are a lot of people who are already benefiting from what it has to offer, and you may fall behind if you don’t try it out as well. Look at what it can do when you get the chance, and then get one for yourself and begin the process of innovation. You won’t regret taking this opportunity to expand your horizons.