Coming soon: A new release of Canoo UltraLightClient
As announced on the mailing list (an html mirror is available here), a new version of Canoo’s UltraLightClient is coming soon. Currently Milestone 3 can be previewed at the product website.
I asked Daniel Grob, lead developer, what the new UltraLightClient version will offer:
Daniel: The focus of release 6.2 is to make UltraLightClient more complete for testing. Version 6.2 offers extensions to test UltraLightClient-based applications more easily. These new test extensions cover the requirements of two separate user groups:
- UltraLightClient developers can test the user interface of their applications using JUnit.
- Testing engineers can use the new integration for Mercury’s QuickTest Professional to record and play functional test scenarios.
In addition, we’ve added numerous feature requests and fixed lots of bug reports.
What will be the main benefit for UltraLightClient developers?
Daniel: In version 6.2, developers can rely on a stable and technically mature JUnit-based testing framework:
- All tests run stable, fast and are reliable.
- Developers no longer need to pay special attention to UltraLightClient characteristics such as Lazy Loading.
- Applications are tested end-to-end and include custom launchers and custom container adapters.
How do you see the future of Java for RIA?
Daniel: Current developments in the consumer area (the catchwords being Web 2.0 and AJAX) will overlap more and more into typical business areas. People will want the same ease of use and efficiency that they are experiencing with Yahoo Mail or Google Calendar in their work applications. Besides usability, other topics such as ease of development, availability of know-how, and the possibility to protect investments are important in companies. I believe, other RIA technologies will establish themselves and will be used in addition to AJAX.
In this respect, Java has - based on its well-established strengths regarding efficient development processes and availability of know-how - clear advantages. I expect that within the business sector Java for RIA will grow strongly in the near future. Sun - the Java owner - seems to see this trend as well, as their latest developments all point into this direction, e.g. JavaFX and the Consumer JRE.
