The future of Java, part 1 "I would love to tinker with the Java language, but that’s not where I feel the pain now," said Java creator James Gosling during an early morning JavaOne session.

Java revolutionized software development 30 years ago. Even with the rise of web apps, there's a bright future for Java desktop application development.

One analyst says Java will fade in importance and pervasiveness in the enterprise, but others believe the Web is its ticket to future.

Fourteen years ago, a marketing genius at Sun Microsystems changed the name of a cross-platform experimental language from the very dependable-sounding "Oak" to the hyper-caffeinated moniker "Java ...

Sharat Chander, senior director of Java SE product management at Oracle, says Java developers of all stripes should participate in the open collaboration process and help shape the future of Java.

Oracle lists four projects at JavaOne 2017 that will affect the future of Java: Project Valhalla, Project Panama, Project Amber and Project Loom.

Would the Java community thrive as well under Oracle's control as it did under Sun Microsystems'? Vendors of Java products seem split about the question.

At the same time, the companies leading Java specs--not Sun--will decide in the future what kind of licensing to apply to a finalized spec, Kluyt said.