More Android bad news?

[Kermit Kiser]

As previously mentioned here, the new Android Gradle build system causes
some problems for NetRexx development of Android applications because
the hooks provided in the previous Ant build system to allow processing
at the Java bytecode level where NetRexx operates appear to be missing.

However recent Android developer news indicates that there may be an
even worse problem coming for third party languages like NetRexx that
are compatible at the Java bytecode level: Google is developing a new
compiler system for Android builds which bypasses the production of Java
bytecode entirely. This means that NetRexx will not be able to interface
with Android resources at the bytecode level, thus making it difficult
if not impossible to do Android development with NetRexx. I don't know
why Google is following this path as it seems similar in effect to the
Apple dictates restricting developers to certain company controlled
languages.

More information can be found here:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/11/30/jack-and-jill-are-googles-new-compilers-for-android-app-developers/

Comments welcome. I will be looking for a workaround of course.


-- Kermit

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[Fernando Cassia-2]

On Mon, Dec 1, 2014 at 4:19 AM, Kermit Kiser <[hidden email]> wrote:

I don't know why Google is following this path as it seems similar in effect to the Apple dictates restricting developers to certain company controlled languages.

They have succesfully done a fork of Java (Java as a platform, not Java as a language), leveraged their dominant position and thus they can safely continue to hurt java, this time by dumping their Dalvik VM.

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/184889-dalvik-is-dead-next-version-of-android-uses-new-art-runtime-to-boost-speed-battery-life

Google is, effectively, the New Microsoft. Remember MSFT´s "embrace and extend" of Java?. Well, $GOOG learned from that experience and perfected its "embrace and extend" strategy.

I´d be curious if this has any effect on Oracle´s current efforts that bring JavaFX to Android (alongside iOS).

FC

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[billfen]

Successfully using NetRexx for Android development (in the long run) may
depend on integration with Android Studio, including their build process.

It would be interesting to me to know what percentage of Android developers
use editors other than the Java editor within the Studio IDE, since NetRexx
seems to appeal to non-IDE users.

I agree that Google seems to be exhibiting the same "control freak"
approach that Apple has.  For example, they are moving the Studio away from
Eclipse (totally free and open source) to IntelliJ (only partially open and
free, with license and upgrade fees in the hundreds of $).  Possibly Google
will just buy JetBrains if and when it suits their purpose to further lock
things down.  

Moving to their own version of byte code leaves only Java source
compatibility (and who knows how long that will last).  I would assume that
the Jack compiler and Jill translator can be added to NetRexx just like the
Eclipse compiler was added, and that NetRexx compile mode could continue to
work for Android development.  But the whole Java byte code issue
highlights one difficulty with mixing interpretation and compiled code.
Possibly the new byte code version "jayce" can be processed by NetRexx in a
way similar to byte code, but that may take substantial work.

Apparently in Google's opinion, being monopolistic is not evil.  Is the
mantra now "Don't be Evil, just Greedy" ?


Original email:
-----------------
From: Fernando Cassia [hidden email]
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2014 04:32:59 -0300
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Ibm-netrexx] More Android bad news?


On Mon, Dec 1, 2014 at 4:19 AM, Kermit Kiser <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I don't know why Google is following this path as it seems similar in
> effect to the Apple dictates restricting developers to certain company
> controlled languages.


They have succesfully done a fork of Java (Java as a platform, not Java as
a language), leveraged their dominant position and thus they can safely
continue to hurt java, this time by dumping their Dalvik VM.

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/184889-dalvik-is-dead-next-version-of-a
ndroid-uses-new-art-runtime-to-boost-speed-battery-life

Google is, effectively, the New Microsoft. Remember MSFT´s "embrace and
extend" of Java?. Well, $GOOG learned from that experience and perfected
its "embrace and extend" strategy.

I´d be curious if this has any effect on Oracle´s current efforts that
bring JavaFX to Android (alongside iOS).

FC


--
During times of Universal Deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary
act
Durante épocas de Engaño Universal, decir la verdad se convierte en un
Acto
Revolucionario
- George Orwell


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