11.3 Challenges

Currently, the Java platform is the leading server-side development and deployment platform, but it's not beyond replacement. For continued success, leaders in the Java community must respond to a set of challenges:

Simplify

Java development must get better for everyday developers. J2EE is not the ultimate answer; if it is not simplified, the average customer will no longer be able to afford the cost of developing and maintaining Java applications.

Leverage open source

Most open source projects fail, and that's okay. The ones that succeed survive the withering test of everyday use. If an open source project works, standardize it and move forward.

Listen to developers

Java's standardization process sometimes leads to many standards that have never been tried in the marketplace. A committee is a horrible place to design an API. No one is smart enough to understand all of the ways that things can break. Better adherence to successful open source APIs can help.

Deal with the albatross

EJB is an albatross that is never fully going to take flight. It's important to modernize that architecture. Allowing pluggable persistence, separating services, allowing more transparent models, and lightening the container would go a long way toward a more successful EJB 3.0.