Archive for June, 2009

Java to ActionScript Converter, Take 3

I needed to estimate the effort required to port a Spring Rich Client application to AIR. Spring RCP applications are actually Java Swing applications. The project had 93 Java files, consisting of 118 Java classes and 16,950 total lines of…

Modular Java

Attack complexity in your Java applications using Modular Java. This pragmatic guide introduces you to OSGi and Spring Dynamic Modules, two of the most compelling frameworks for Java modularization. Driven by real-world examples, this book will equip you with the know-how you need to develop Java applications that are composed of smaller, loosely-coupled, highly-cohesive modules.

Writing the Pac-Man Game in JavaFX – Part 5

In previous articles, we finished writing most of the code of the Pac-Man game. In article 3, we implemented a simple algorithm for the ghosts to catch the Pac-Man. The ghosts randomly decides in which direction they move. They do not chase the Pac-Man even they are very close to him. This makes the game less challenging. In fact, the behavior of the ghosts are the most tricky part of the game. According to Iwatani, the author of the original arcade game, he had designed each ghost with its own distinct personality in order to keep the game from becoming too difficult or boring to play. ( More info) However, there is generally no conclusion on what behavior of the ghosts are good for the players.

Writing the Pac-Man Game in JavaFX – Part 4

In the last article, we developed a preliminary version of the Pac-Man game. Four ghosts are randomly roaming the maze and a Pac-Man character can be controlled by a player. Now, we write some more code for the interaction between ghosts and the Pac-Man:

Pac-Man eats a ghost after he gobbles a magic dot.
A ghost eats the Pac-Man when it touches him.

Sun Launches an App Store + Ellison on Sun’s Future

As Schwartz touts the massive market penetration of Java on “Billions of PCs and Mobile Devices”. Sun introduces a Java-centric App Store to bring the advantages of this distribution to Java application developers. Scott McNealy invites Larry Ellison to the stage to talk about the future of Java, how JavaFX is better than AJAX, and how he intends to compete with Google’s Android.