Java on Mac OS X Leopard to be 64-bit, resolution independent

I just spent some time digging through the WWDC schedule and session to see if I could find anything about Java on Leopard. First of all, Java is NOT DEAD on Max OS X and Leopard should ship with some version of Java. And from what WWDC pages read, Apple may actually have a few cool features in store for Java on Leopard. From the WWDC session pages:

“New features and performance enhancements make Java a greatly improved technology on Mac OS X Leopard. Discover how Leopard makes the Java development experience better than ever with resolution independence, a crisper Aqua look and feel, a 64-bit virtual machine, and more. Get the latest news on WebObjects and find out how other developers are using Java successfully on Mac OS X.”

It took a while to find that since all of the session descriptions require a click to reveal them. But from what the description reads, it definitely sounds like Java on Leopard will take advantage of several of Leopards core technologies. Most notably is 64-bit Java and resolution independence. These two items alone can explain the perceived hiatus that Java 6 has been on. But based on the WWDC descriptions, it also seems pretty clear that Java 6 (or a 64-bit Java 5 version) will most likely not run on Mac OS X Tiger 10.4 as it won’t support these technologies. The session titled “Discover Java on Mac OS X Leopard” which takes place Thursday morning at 9am PDT, should reveal more about the state of Java on the Mac. Hopefully, the information from this session becomes public and soon!

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