Yet another release candidate (b32) for Java 6 Update 10 is released today. Going through the fixed bugs list, I found this RFE:

Bug 6735003: JRE-Installer should pre-populate deployment cache with JavaFX Libraries.

The JavaFX libraries should be setup as JNLP extensions in a well known permanent location (URL).

The libraries should not be bundled with the JRE installer. At the end of the installation, we should launch "javaws -import [javafx url]" in background and have it bring down the libraries silently.

We might need some changes to the deployment download engine and see what can we handle this background download efficiently, e.g., what to do if the client tries to start a javafx application while this backround download is still in customer.

It's time to learn about JNLP extensions.

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Posted by Weiqi Gao on September 16, 2008 10:48:05 PM CDT #

Abel Avram reporting on InfoQ: Stack Overflow, a web site for programming questions&answers, has been made public while still in beta. The site offers programmers the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from fellow coders for free, and intends to become the right source of answers for any programming question.

I've been aware of this website for quite some time. First from listening to the StackOverflow podcast on IT Conversations. And then recently from my referer page.

You get a strange feeling when non-public or foreign language websites link to your blog. Now that it is public, I can finally see what they are talking about.

If this is the first time you've heard about StackOverflow.com, let me just mention that it was built by Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood, prolific authors of humorous, and sometimes biting, programming related web contents.

I'm not a big fan of programming Q&A websites, mostly because most of them a ad-laden or behind pay-walls. I hope StackOverflow.com will be one that reverses the trend.

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Posted by Weiqi Gao on September 16, 2008 8:18:34 AM CDT #

Let me preface this series of postings with this statement: After 14 days of use, I find Google Chrome a satisfying browser to use. That satisfaction comes from its UI simplicity, speedy response time and stability.

However, here are some of the features that I wish Google Chrome had:

• I still reflexively press the "/" key when I want to start a search on the current page, only to discover that the search word I typed is not showing up in the lower left corner. Then I remember that I have to use "Ctrl-F" and look at the upper right corner.
• I tried to find a way to add a "Printer" icon to the address bar but failed. And I find the "Print..." menu item in the context menu to be "further away" than an icon in the address bar.
• The idea of a "Home" page that contains your browsing history sound good, but I find myself using it less than I expected. I go there only when I know I can find the link threr before hand.
• I find myself wanting to setup multiple "Starting Page" tabs (what Firefox calls "Home Pages") and the UI for doing that is awful. I struggled to get the tabs to line up just the way I wanted.
• I haven't felt the urge to hunt for plugins for this browser too often. But the few times I did try, I failed. I'm using Google Chrome without the benefit of AdBlock or Google Toolbar.

Granted, some of the above complaints are Firefox inertia. But nevertheless, they are Google Chrome pain points. I'm sure people who come to Google Chrome from IE, Safari, or Opera would have different sets of pain points of their own.

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Posted by Weiqi Gao on September 16, 2008 7:40:57 AM CDT #