Good day Joe, nice to hear from you and that you are up and well, especially mentally! I've already written several notes on this list about Java. A notorious argument brought up against Java on Macs is/was Apple's (non-)support of Java. However this isn't an issue ! Java depends on Virtual Machines (VM) and if one has grasped the idea behind them, it is evident that if there is a VM for a platform, then you can run Java programs. ________________________ Is there a VM for OS X ? Yes, and it is still actively supported by Apple, although Apple wanted drop this "burden". What Apple definitely has dropped several years ago is a Java-IDE based on XCode. This is no problem at all because there are several excellent Java-IDEs out there and in fact to begin with Java, you need little more than an editor, such as the free TextWrangler, and the knowledge of how to use the Terminal for the code "compilation" (in fact a one-liner). What does it mean that Apple supports the VM ? It means that Apple wants/wanted that Java-Applications _can_ have the look and feel of native OS X applications. BTW, this is rather unique and doesn't exist to this extent with VMs for other platforms. What happens if Apple finally drops the support for the Java VM ? A Java VM may come from any organization and if Apple does not deliver details of their UI to them, you will have to work with a different one, like it is the case with Java on other platforms. But apparently we shall rather see a co-operation of Oracle and Apple, i.e. if Apple eventually stops working on the VM for Mac, it will be provided by Oracle and properly adapted. What is the worst case ? Of course, no VM for the Mac or a trick that doesn't allow to run a Java VM on Macs. Then you will still run/sell your applications for the remaining platforms. Is the worst case to be expected soon ? No. Presently and besides Oracle, there is an organization working on an OS X Java-VM and even if they don't succeed/survive, you can be pretty sure that there will be others. Furthermore, Apple realized that there are too many important Java applications out there and that it is not a good idea to take measures that would make it impossible to run a Java VM on Macs. What about the worst case in the next 5 years ? Summing up the above, the worst case in my opinion would be that the UI of a Java application may not have the perfect look and feel of a native OS X application. Please note this doesn't concern its functionality! ________________________ That said, Java is an alternative to ObjC for the Mac but I'm far from saying that it is the only one. If functionality of an application is of importance and not its perfect integration to OS X (Finder etc.), which presently is possible, it may be worth taking a look at it. But be aware that you have to switch to object oriented thinking which is the greatest stumbling block ! The best aspect of Java for me was garbage collection that meanwhile works near to perfect. In other words no memory problems (no allocation, no release) anymore! The worst aspect of Java for me were timing problems (race conditions etc.) that are due to the fact that objects per definition are timeless, and that have also to do with threading. These problems are surmountable, but require a certain experience. Best to all and don't ask me about Java details, because I'm far from being an expert! Herbie