JavaONE!!!!

The first conference for Java developer's on this red-hot ... well, what is Java, anyway? It's a language designed specifically for Web applications as we know but it is also an operating system! May 29, 30, and 31, 1996, were three days packed solid with hard-core information, explosive insight, and plain, old-fashioned *excitement*. You felt it from the moment of the first day when you approached Moscone Center in San Francisco (where gigantic banners proclaimed JAVAONE) to the final minutes of the last day when people reluctantly left invigorated with the excitement born during these three life-changing days. The 5500 people who attended came from all over the world. New friendships and partnerships were formed that will never be, can never be forgotten. Jeeves was there too, of course, in real life.

Upon "checking in", we received, along with the conference badge, a really nice backpack with a Java logo on it and a Java T-shirt and several other Java items in it, such as a pen, a notepad, and a binder to hold all the hand-outs! Walking to and from the hotels and train station in the area, one could see quite a few of these distinctive backpacks slung over the shoulders of passers-by. It was great to be part of this action.

The keynote addresses were anything but boring. John Gage (Director, Science Office, Sun).led off. One thing James Gosling, credited as being the creator of Java, talked about was the "quanta of behavior" where everything talks to everything else, meaning both data and behavior. He also mentioned a 16MBit DRAM with 67 MHz RISC chip, "hammer technology" to figure out how things work, and simplifying design. Scott McNealy, co-founder and CEO of Sun Microsystems, told of how Java is being used now and of future endeavors, including inter-corporate agreements. The JavaOS on a chip embedded in cellular phones (one looked an awful lot like Captain Kirk's communicator) was just one development that caught everyone's interest. Joining Scott by live-feed video from Colorado was Bill Joy, co-founder and VP Research, Sun. Dr. Alan Baratz, President of JavaSoft, talked about JavaOS, HotJava, JDK enhancements, JavaBeans, and online development support. Check the website for transcripts of these and the other keynotes by Eric Schmidt (CTO, Sun) and Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the WWW). These and "the sessions" were held in Moscone Center's huge halls, each had *four* enormous screens hanging from the ceiling so everyone in the hall could easily see (and hear) the speaker and the demos. Great planning there! Attendance was always high, for these keynotes and the learning sessions. Sometimes so many people were there that all the chairs were taken - a mass of people stood in the back and the side walls were lined with people sitting on the floor!

Four or five sessions per day were held on each of four tracks: Technical, Design, Business/Strategy, and Industry. The amount of information given was staggering. The presenters were people who have been intensely involved with Java , some for several years even though Java was officially introduced only a little over a year ago (May 1995). They really knew their stuff. The conference goers asked many hard questions that for the most part were answered well. Simultaneously, sessions called "Birds of a Feather" were going on where one could exchange tips and techniques and participate in questions and answers.

The first JavaCup International, the applet writing contest, was one of the highlights of the conference. The over $1 million USD in prizes donated by Sun, were split among the 19 winners selected from the over 200 entrants. For each of the six categories, there was a Team winner, an Individual First Place winner, and an Individual Second Place winner, plus one Overall winner. I heard that about half of them live outside the United States. It was so exciting to see the world fired up and actively engaged in this one activity - together for a good common purpose.

On the exhibition floor, way over 100 tool vendors, application vendors, service providers, and magazine and book vendors displayed and demonstrated their JavaWares. Next to the exhibitors was an area for hands-on web activities (the Hackers Corner), a special section for having a look at the JavaCup applets, a bookstore, a JavaStore (cups, mousepads, sweatshirts, the Java denim shirts, etc.), and the Cyber Cafe. And where did one carry all the tons of information and souvenirs one got from the exhibitors and stores? Well, in your Java backpack, naturally.

And can Scott ever put on a party! Thursday night, about 2500 people arrived at a warehouse at Fort Mason (an area in San Francisco right on the Bay) to be greeted by a devious Wizard, a lonely Prince, and a fierce Viking - each one about 12 feet tall! After greeting you, they ushered the way into the event. Good food and games and music and drinks and fun were abundantly supplied. Man-size robots roamed around speaking to folks and adding to the fun. The colored pulsating lights and the interpretive dancers added flair. Giant tools, such as hammers and wrenches and screwdrivers, were suspended from the high ceiling - a reference to the "hammer technology" which James Gosling spoke about. The games were gigantic inflated toys that you were usually strapped into - then you spun or climbed or jumped or ran And the loud, jammin' music kept you moving. If you needed a little break from the crowd and activity, you could just step outside with a newfound friend and feel the cool breeze coming in off the Bay, savor the atmosphere, and watch the lights of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, Alcatraz, Tiberon, and Berkeley