j2me/Java consultant Future?

[nsdh]

Hi,

I am student studying in University, I need your advice to select my path C++ or Java. I have experience in j2ee but zero knowledge of J2me and mobile technology. what is the present value of J2me/Java consultant? Which one is good to choose(J2me or SymbianC++ or QT) if Iam searching for job in 6 months?

basically I need to know the job market for Java Mobile technology or Ajax.

Thank You

[grahamhughes]

You're posting in the Java forum, so guess which answer you're going to get... :-)

I would say, currently, the ratio of demand to supply is highest in the mobile market for developers with "native" platform skills. So:

* C++ on Symbian
* Objective C on iphone
* C++ or C# on Windows mobile
* C or C++ on BREW

That doesn't mean there are more jobs, necessarily. I just mean that jobs for these skills are currently harder to fill.

By "currently", I mean "this month". A year from now, the picture could be very different.

There are still more J2ME devices than anything else.

My predictions? Well, if I could accurately predict the future, I wouldn't be posting on here. I'd be sitting on my yacht. But...

* I think BREW will die. If you've never heard of BREW, it's big in the US. It's a C/C++ based system, produced by Qualcomm (they make mobile network hardware for CDMA and UMTS networks, and a lot of mobile phone internals). It's been heavily supported by Verizon, who are one of the major network operators in the US.

* I think iphone market share will continue to grow, but eventually start to plateau. I think professional developers who want to earn money will get fed up of the App Store, and of competing with free software from thousands of bedroom programmers.

* I think a lot of developers will like Google Android, if it manages to achieve some decent market share. (Android's flavour of Java is not J2ME, but it isn't completely alien).

* Symbian looks set to remain strong, particularly in its Series 60 form. It increasingly appears on non-Nokia devices (Sony Ericsson launch a Series 60 device soon).

* Windows mobile has become a lot more popular, but is still a little bit too "niche".

* As more devices have better support for advanced, optional J2ME APIs (like web services, content handler, etc.), J2ME will become less a platform for "applets" and games, and more a platform for complex applications.

Java is easier to learn and to work with than C or C++. It gives you a skill you can take from the smallest mobile to the biggest server, and from one operating system to another.

J2ME allows you to develop for Symbian (both Series 60 and UIQ) and Windows Mobile. It is also part of the BluRay standard... all BluRay players have a Java runtime installed. It's used for the menus and for other interactive content.

As a student, I'd say you're more likely to deliver your final year project in Java in a working condition and without wanting to throw yourself out of any windows. C and C++ can bring many headaches for the beginner.

Whichever you learn, you can learn the other one later. And whichever you learn, you probably won't be using it five years from now. I think Java provides a much wider range of career options.

Hope that helps.

Graham.

[rdrincon]

Adding some information to this very good analysis made by grahamhughes

I would also consider the big impact that Web technologies are having in the mobile world latelly.
You can see that each time Web technologies in mobile devices are granting access to native resources as GPS, camera, etc, etc...

It's not Only Nokia, but the whole industry as well.

Keep an eye on that...

[nsdh]

Hi,

Thank you for the response. If IBM takes over Sun then what will happen to Java? I heard Netbeans is already dead...the developers are swithching from Sun to Google and Adobe.
Are we going to see someother language instead of Java?

[grahamhughes]

If IBM takes over Sun then what will happen to Java?

Do you think IBM will take over Sun? Even if they do, why would this affect Java. Java is a huge part of IBM's software strategy. Products like WebSphere are Java-based.

I heard Netbeans is already dead...

NetBeans was never really alive. Not that many developers use it. Most professional Java developers I know (whether J2ME, SE or EE) use Eclipse. Eclipse was developed by IBM... in Java...

the developers are swithching from Sun to Google and Adobe.

Google Android applications are developed in Java. Sony Ericsson are promoting a new system which allows you to mix Flash Lite with Java. Flash for the UI, and Java for the logic. This is only necessary because Flash is not really adequate as a complete solution.

There are always developers who will switch to a new thing. That doesn't mean that the "new thing" will be successful, or that it will replace the "old thing". Developers in the past switched from C++ to Java. Java was successful, but C++ is far from dead.

Are we going to see someother language instead of Java?

Yes. There is always change. Some developers who would previously have been using Java have already switched to C#. But C# has not killed Java.

When I was a student, Java didn't even exist. Yet, for the last five or six years, I've made a living from it. Ultimately, during your career, you will have to learn and adapt. It doesn't end on your graduation day.

The important thing is to learn how to make software, not any specific language. My advice to you is that this is easier in Java, and Java is (and will continue to be for many years to come) a commercially valuable skill.

Cheers,
Graham.

[vineetbillorey]

When I was a student, Java didn't even exist.
Yet, for the last five or six years, I've made a living from it.

Same with me

The important thing is to learn how to make software, not any specific language.
My advice to you is that this is easier in Java,

Thats the truth

 and Java is (and will continue to be for many years to come)
a commercially valuable skill.

Cheers Again

When I started Software Development in Foxpro 1999, Foxpro was on top,
but was overtaken by Oracle-D2K within 2000, and I learned it.
later on Java covered everything because of Platform Independency in almost every field.
I had to learn Java because it was wanted almost everywhere i asked.
Till date Java is my bread and butter