Java needs to start again... from BEFORE JavaSE 6

Back in 2006 I wrote a post on why JavaSE 6 wasn't for the Enterprise with all of the cruft that had been added and one comment I made around the inclusion of a Web Server was its potential impact on security.  Well it appears that thanks to this bloatware approach and lack of focus on core stability Java is now one of the number 1 security threats out there.  Apple have been hacked thanks to this and government agencies are saying turn off Java, something I've done myself.

Can anyone in Java land seriously imagine this happening before JavaSE6?  Java was the secure platform, the rock solid, no security issues, bet your business on it.  We'd laugh at Flash, we'd guffaw at Microsoft and chuckle uncontrollably at the script kiddies.  So did JavaSE 6 even meet its aim of keeping Java relevant with Joe Sixpack developer?  Well no, we've seen a massive increase in language fragmentation since JavaSE 6.  Does the current roadmap for Java address the structural and industry trends of things like Android, Big Data, Enterprise Computing?  Again I'd have to say no.

I'm a Java fan, I spent a large bunch of time investing heavily in the Java community and I got a lot out of it.  Its horrible to see how its now a hack and slash platform riddled with security issues.  So lets face it

1. Java as an in browser solution is dead
2. Java for the desktop will make it the year after Linux does

Therefore can we please concentrate on the core of Java, both for mobility (remember when Java dominated mobile games and apps?) and for the enterprise computing market... you know where the money is.

Java has, since JavaSE 6, been an unmitigated disaster, its turned strong foundations and principles into a complete and utter mess.   I was on JavaSE 6, I saw it happen before my eyes and I couldn't stop it because (lets be blunt here) I'm no James Gosling.

Java needs to recognise the market and restructure around it or its irrelevance and the massive impact of that on enterprise software and support is assured.  I know I speak for lots of Java guys out there when I say we are up for the challenge and we want to help but that starts by recognising the scale of the mistakes made and drawing up a completely new roadmap based on a clear vision of what enterprise and mobile computing needs today.