Many applications don't need direct access to OS-specific functionality
(email clients, calendars, editors, DB front-ends, Web-browsers ..)
why to program them to a specific OS / GUI toolkit API (version)?
why not to use Java to do it portable ?
- myths
- memory consumption
improve subsystems (GC, JIT), share resources (Java as a shell,
Kaffe server)
- native desktop integration
native GUI/toolkit compatibility = AWT flexibility (type 1/2 AWTs:
Gtk, Xlib, ..)
- missing toolkit functionality
consider lightweights (+ availability of AWT
sources for native widget interfacing)
- environment compatibility
"glibc" - problem, taming the combinations
- portable VM (+libs), factor out target system dependencies
- GPL sources, automated configure/build process