One example around me, in our school's cs computer lab all machines used Sun solaris before, now they are all changed to Linux.
--- Paul Pantera <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I was a member of the Java 3D group at Sun from its > inception to the initial > round of layoffs in November 2001. So perhaps I can > provide some insight > as to why Java 3D is losing support from Sun. > > The reason is because the popularity and performance > of Linux and commodity > Intel compatible processors. This has decreased > demand for Sun's servers > and workstations. As sales went down, costs needed > to go down to keep > the company's stock price afloat. Layoffs occurred. > > Java 3D was developed in the 3D graphics hardware > group at Sun. Sun's > 3D graphics hardware used to be among the fastest > you could get - much > faster than any PC. The amazing performance of > commodity processors > from ATI and NVidia have caught up and surpassed > Sun's hardware and > have alleviated the need for Sun's customers to buy > their expensive > workstations. Because the group is no longer making > money for Sun, > more layoffs occurred, and Java 3D was among the > first project to be > cut since it doesn't provide any income for the > company. > > The Java group within Sun seems to have more support > from upper > management. Perhaps if Java 3D were part of the > Java group instead of > the 3D Graphics Hardware group, things would be > different. > > So it's my opinion that the lack of support for Java > 3D isn't due > to bugs, lack of Mac support, or mis-management, but > instead it's > because of external business concerns that have > nothing to do with > Java 3D. > > I, like you, wish Sun would post an official > announcement about the > future of Java 3D. I'm personally concerned because > I now make my > living using Java 3D. I do know that there are Java > 3D supporters > still at Sun, including the original architect of > Java 3D Doug > Twilleager, and J3DFly author Paul Byrne. I do not > know, however, > if anyone is still supporting the product full time, > as Kelvin > and Mark were. > > I'm glad to see that Sun has decided to officially > support an > open source Java/OpenGL binding, JOGL. Perhaps they > will > eventually decide to make Java 3D open source. > However, be > careful what you wish for. The Java 3D source is > huge and > complex. There are native sections for Solaris, > Windows/OpenGL, > and Windows/Direct3D, plus common code. I don't > know how you'd > open source a build process that requires different > pieces of > the code be built on different machines running > different > operating systems. > > I'm not going to worry for now. I'm confident that > there will > be Java 3D into the future, and if not, that there > will be a > clean migration path to an alternative technology, > perhaps open- > mind or Xith3d. > > It's clear that we are going to have to start taking > on the > burden of supporting ourselves in the future - Sun > is not footing > the bill any more. We whould try to work together > as a community. > > -Paul Pantera > PresidioLabs Inc. > > =========================================================================== > To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > and include in the body > of the message "signoff JAVA3D-INTEREST". For > general help, send email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] and include in the body of the > message "help". __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com =========================================================================== To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and include in the body of the message "signoff JAVA3D-INTEREST". For general help, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and include in the body of the message "help".