Sun on Thursday released a preview version of JavaFX, programming technology that the company hopes will be the foundation of visually appealing, interactive internet applications.
Like Java, JavaFX includes software to execute programs and a programming language used to write those programs, in this case called JavaFX Script.
Java has a strong following in programming circles but, although intended for use on the desktop, the technology caught on chiefly for use on servers and mobile phones. JavaFX is a return to the original theme of Java, with Sun billing the offering as a way to run software on desktop PCs. The software includes support for 2D and 3D graphics, audio and video, and animation.
However, there are established competitors. Adobe's Flash is widely used, Microsoft's relatively new Silverlight is headed toward its second, more versatile version, and ordinary HTML web pages augmented with JavaScript are commonly used to create applications.
The JavaFX developer tools come with Project Nile, a tool to import content from Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator — a factor that the company hopes will boost acceptance among designers and programmers already familiar with those industry-standard content-creation packages.
The final release of JavaFX for desktop computers is due in the autumn, and Sun plans to release the first version of JavaFX for mobile devices in spring 2009, the company said.
On Friday, the company also reported fourth-quarter revenue of $3.78bn (£1.92bn), down 1.4 percent from a year ago.
The results topped Wall Street expectations of fourth-quarter revenue of $3.72bn; Sun had said on 15 July that its results would top lowered expectations. Sun also announced a $1bn stock-buyback plan to bolster its shares. Net income for the fiscal year ending 30 June was $403m, down from $473m in 2007.
Chief financial officer Michael Lehman said the slowdown in demand that the company saw in its quarters ending March and June will spill over into the first quarter of 2009. "We enter the fiscal year with a number of challenges," said Lehman on the company's earnings conference call. "The biggest variable will be the buying patterns of our large customers. We expect modest, low, single [digit] growth in revenue. The first quarter, in particular, will be challenging."
ZDNet.com's Larry Dignan contributed to this report.
