Applets and Java ME

[Joshua Cranmer]

The company I'm working at this summer is currently redesigning some
internal software; part of the new software has the ability to display
status updates via web pages which involve applets. One nice feature to
have would be able to view these on the BlackBerries that many employees
have.

Some cursory searches on the internet lead me to believe that it is
possible to run applets on Java ME devices, but I didn't find any guides
to what would need to be done (the attempt to just view it on the
BlackBerry failed). As I have no experience programming (or using, for
that matter) Java ME and no ready access to a device (the company
doesn't give out BlackBerries to summer interns, for some strange reason
), I want to get some general feedback from people who have actually
developed Java ME.

The question, in short is this: What do I have to do get applets to run
on a BlackBerry? What would be the best framework to test such a setup?

 

[Andrew Thompson]

...
Some cursory searches on the internet lead me to believe that it is
possible to run applets on Java ME devices, ..

Some cursory URLs?

In any case, I suspect those pages were wrong.

To the best of limited knowledge..
J2ME apps. are delivered based around the Midlet,
the J2ME equivalent of an Applet. The GUI components
must also be the J2ME equivalents (not AWT, which is
not available).

A quick check of Darryl Pierce' J2ME FAQ* suggests
there is an incomplete Applet that can load Midlets
on the desktop, but there is no mention of the other
way around (Midlet load Applet).

Note also that 'applet' originally meant 'small
application' and Sun 'hijacked' it for Java Applets.
Some people correctly refer to Midlets as 'an applet'.

* <http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/c/mcpierce/javamefaq.html>

 

[Roedy Green]

The question, in short is this: What do I have to do get applets to run
on a BlackBerry? What would be the best framework to test such a setup?

I think you write stripped down Applets called Midlets.

See http://mindprod.com/jgloss/midlet.html

Perhaps some of the larger hand-helds could run full blown Applets.

--
Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products
http://mindprod.com

Never discourage anyone... who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.
~ Plato 428 BC died: 348 BC at age: 80

 

[Tom Anderson]

The company I'm working at this summer is currently redesigning some internal
software; part of the new software has the ability to display status updates
via web pages which involve applets. One nice feature to have would be able
to view these on the BlackBerries that many employees have.

Some cursory searches on the internet lead me to believe that it is possible
to run applets on Java ME devices,

Since applets run inside a web browser, it would depend on the browser
that was on the phone. I had a bit of a search, and couldn't find any
evidence for either Opera Mini or Safari, two of the most advanced mobile
browsers, supporting java. And since Opera Mini is written in Java ME it
seems unlikely that it could support full java. Turning to Blackberries
specifically, i believe that the standard Internet Browser does not
support java - my BB is broken and off at the menders at the moment, so i
can't check, but i don't recall ever seeing java (as opposed to
javascript) mentioned in the browser's configuration menu.

Given that, you have two options:

- Write a midlet in java

- Write a website that uses just HTML and javascript

- Write a website that uses just WML and WMLScript (old school!)

Which is best will depend on a lot of factors, including how sophisticated
what you want to do is, what your development team (ie you, from the sound
of it) knows about, and how important it is to integrate with the website.

but I didn't find any guides to what would need to be done (the attempt
to just view it on the BlackBerry failed). As I have no experience
programming (or using, for that matter) Java ME and no ready access to a
device (the company doesn't give out BlackBerries to summer interns, for
some strange reason ), I want to get some general feedback from
people who have actually developed Java ME.

I haven't - i only got my BB recently, and it broke down before i could
get round to writing code (bathtub curve, i guess - or rather, i hope!).
However, i did collect some links which looked useful, so here they are:

http://developers.sun.com/mobility/midp/articles/blackberrydev/
http://billday.com/j2me/
http://developers.sun.com/mobility/learn/midp/lifecycle/
http://mpowerplayer.com/sdk

The question, in short is this: What do I have to do get applets to run
on a BlackBerry?

Standards-compliant MIDP midlets should run on a Blackberry.

What would be the best framework to test such a setup?

The J2ME RI includes a midlet runner. That MPowerPlayer thing above is
another, perhaps better and certainly more portable, one.

tom

 

[Richard Maher]

Hi Joshua,

The company I'm working at this summer is currently redesigning some
internal software; part of the new software has the ability to display
status updates via web pages which involve applets. One nice feature to
have would be able to view these on the BlackBerries that many employees
have.

Some cursory searches on the internet lead me to believe that it is
possible to run applets on Java ME devices, but I didn't find any guides
to what would need to be done (the attempt to just view it on the
BlackBerry failed). As I have no experience programming (or using, for
that matter) Java ME and no ready access to a device (the company
doesn't give out BlackBerries to summer interns, for some strange reason
), I want to get some general feedback from people who have actually
developed Java ME.

The question, in short is this: What do I have to do get applets to run
on a BlackBerry? What would be the best framework to test such a setup?

I hope you have better luck, but I have recently searched around for Java
Applet support with *any* of the new generation hand-helds (iPhone, Android,
Blackberry, Palm) and *none* of them seem to support Applets :-(

For some reason, I had expected Chrome to run on Android with Applet support
but no-go there either. (I did find talk from SUN about their personal
support for Java on the iPhone, but I can see no fruits.)

Maybe it's because when they think Applet Support the phone/os/browser
manufacturers imagine having to support all of the AWT,SWT,Swing baggage
from a language that is no longer destined for mainstream GUI development?
All I want is java.net.socket which is there with Android (*and ME*) but
what's missing is Applet and LiveConnect :-(

Hopefully the next versions of these phones/os/browsers offer more but I
think you're looking at Laptops if you want Applets.

Cheers Richard Maher

PS. I hope I'm wrong!

PPS. Both iPhone and Android have IPsec support *now* for your VPNs! (Not
sure about the other hand-helds)

 

[pidgeot18]

Some cursory URLs?

The first one I saw was this:
<http://supportforums.blackberry.com/rim/board/message?
board.id=java_dev&thread.id=18922>

This came up as the first result when searching for "Java ME applets":
<http://developers.sun.com/mobility/midp/articles/models/>
(P.S. it appears this thread made the top results for that search,
only 11 hours after posting!)

In any case, I suspect those pages were wrong.

It may be that people are using applets in a more generic term than
the specific Java-related term, even in the context of Java ME (!).

To the best of limited knowledge..
J2ME apps. are delivered based around the Midlet,
the J2ME equivalent of an Applet.  The GUI components
must also be the J2ME equivalents (not AWT, which is
not available).

This was the thing that really made me confused--the Java ME APIs
appear to have no support whatsoever for AWT or Applets, so how could
it support applets? Yet the Sun page mentions the possibility of
delivering as applets.

 

[Richard Maher]

So J2ME has/supports java.applet.Applet? Wow!

So if an applet-supporting browser came along then I take it the JRE is
there.

<<<<<<<<<<<<
This was the thing that really made me confused--the Java ME APIs
appear to have no support whatsoever for AWT or Applets, so how could
it support applets?
There are many faceless applets out there that have no GUI involvement, or
that do it through LiveConnect JSObject.

Cheers Richard Maher

Some cursory URLs?

The first one I saw was this:
<http://supportforums.blackberry.com/rim/board/message?
board.id=java_dev&thread.id=18922>

This came up as the first result when searching for "Java ME applets":
<http://developers.sun.com/mobility/midp/articles/models/>
(P.S. it appears this thread made the top results for that search,
only 11 hours after posting!)

In any case, I suspect those pages were wrong.

It may be that people are using applets in a more generic term than
the specific Java-related term, even in the context of Java ME (!).

To the best of limited knowledge..
J2ME apps. are delivered based around the Midlet,
the J2ME equivalent of an Applet. The GUI components
must also be the J2ME equivalents (not AWT, which is
not available).

This was the thing that really made me confused--the Java ME APIs
appear to have no support whatsoever for AWT or Applets, so how could
it support applets? Yet the Sun page mentions the possibility of
delivering as applets.

 

[Richard Maher]

Hi (again) Joshua,

The company I'm working at this summer is currently redesigning some
internal software; part of the new software has the ability to display
status updates via web pages which involve applets. One nice feature to
have would be able to view these on the BlackBerries that many employees
have.

Some cursory searches on the internet lead me to believe that it is
possible to run applets on Java ME devices, but I didn't find any guides
to what would need to be done (the attempt to just view it on the
BlackBerry failed). As I have no experience programming (or using, for
that matter) Java ME and no ready access to a device (the company
doesn't give out BlackBerries to summer interns, for some strange reason
), I want to get some general feedback from people who have actually
developed Java ME.

The question, in short is this: What do I have to do get applets to run
on a BlackBerry? What would be the best framework to test such a setup?

FWIW, I been looking at buying a smartphone for myself and whilst evaluating
the features I stumbled across the Nokia E63 and 71 and came to the
conclusion that your best (only?) bet at the moment is some sort of
Symbian-based phone. (Obviously doesn't help with your existing Blackberrys)

It appears the S60 software platform supports a browser with full Flash
support and Applet support. (And has IPsec support!)

Now if someone can tell me how to make a checkbox or button with
javax.microedition.LCDUI then I'm all ears

Anyone got any web-references for Applet code running in a J2ME JVM?

Cheers Richard Maher

PS. I thought more people would be interested in this opportunity for Java
growth/re-emergence?

PPS. There is also talk of netscape.javascript.JSObject support around but
nothing I could sink my teeth into :-(