J# for Windows Smartphones?

[Andy Sjostrom]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.enterprisej2me.com/blog/ms/?postid=73' target='_blank'>http://www.enterprisej2me.com/blog/ms/?postid=73</a><br /><br /></div>If you haven't already followed the discussions in the developer community regarding J# for Windows Smartphone, then it is time to jump in! Start by reading <a href="http://30deg.blogspot.com/2004/08/j-will-rescue-smartphones.html#comments">"J# will rescue Smartphones"</a> by Itai Frenkel. Jonathan Wells (.NET Compact Framework Product Manager) then <a href="http://weblogs.asp.net/onoj/archive/2004/08/14/214662.aspx">asked around a little bit on his blog</a> and he did get some interesting comments back. Discussions continue and I spotted some thoughts on <a href="http://www.enterprisej2me.com/blog/ms/?postid=73">Michael Yuan's Windows Mobile blog</a>. Aren't blogs great!?<br /><br />So, what is your take? J# for Windows Smartphone?

[Kris Kumar]

J#? I think it's a good way to get the Java developers and ISVs sucked into the Windows Mobile platform. Once they port their Java/J2ME app onto Windows Mobile/J#, I am sure they will be impressed by the richness of the Windows Mobile platform, and would want to write more Microsoft Smartphone specific apps. :-)

[TANKERx]

J#? I think it's a good way to get the Java developers and ISVs sucked into the Windows Mobile platform. Once they port their Java/J2ME app onto Windows Mobile/J#, I am sure they will be impressed by the richness of the Windows Mobile platform, and would want to write more Microsoft Smartphone specific apps. :-)

Why would anybody in their right mind want to write windows specific apps? It would make no sense whatsoever to develop for a niche market when there's a huge market out there on other (some might say more advanced) platforms?

It's like a developer expecting to sell millions of licenses by producing software for Linux. Everybody knows that the desktop market is on Windows, and the phone market isn't.

Symbian may be immensley bigger and more popular than Windows Mobile Smartphone (and understandably so), but the real big thing is Java and anyone who has Java applications in their portfolio can cover all the markets in one package.

Now something that would really worry the competition is that if Microsoft were to release .Net CF for Palm, Symbian and Linux Smartphones. That would be a killer and that would really give the competition a good reason to worry.