The next major Java SE release, Java 7, could potentially usher in a maintenance wave starting Sep 2010. Java7 has lot of good features . . .

http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk7/features/So much so that it almost feels like a new language . . . e.g. Multicatch, Jigsaw . . .

http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk7/features/

http://code.joejag.com/2009/new-language-features-in-java-7/

This could trigger a massive rewrite of the entire Java codebase.

Take this with C# 4.0 new features . . . and F# the new successor . . . the entire .NET platform could get a rewrite as well.

Business Process Intelligence (BPI) is an area that is quickly gaining interest and importance in all industries alike.

But what is Business Process Intelligence?

BPI refers to the application of various measurement and analysis techniques in the area of business process management. BPI increases the quality of process execution through features such as analysis, prediction, monitoring, control, and optimization.

http://is.tm.tue.nl/bpi09/

Some early research papers:

http://www.hpl.hp.com/techreports/2002/HPL-2002-119.pdf

http://www.prism.uvsq.fr/~grig/These/ci.pdf

A practical explanation:

http://www.ebizq.net/blogs/nari/2008/09/business_process_intelligence.php

What is Business Process Analytics?

http://www.wfmc.org/business-process-analytics-format.html

What is XPDL?

http://www.wfmc.org/xpdl.html

Who’s using it?

http://www.wfmc.org/xpdl-implementations.html

Free BPM tools

http://bpmfundamentals.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/free-bpm-modeling-tools/

In a major development, James Gosling, the father of the Java programming language, has left Oracle Corporation.

http://www.infoq.com/news/2010/04/gosling_leaves_oracle

There are quite a few lessons to be learned here:

• You can invent Java and still be out of a job!
• No language lasts forever.
• Nothing will replace “select *” aka SQL. It has nothing to do with computer science. The foundations of mathematics are built on set theory — unless some other language can be invented on top of set theory that betters SQL.
• Time to go functional/dynamic: The object-oriented era is coming to an end.

Per the grapevine, Gosling is probably looking at the following choices:

1) Join Google.
2) Join IBM.
3) Move to academics (like Bjarne Stroustrup did).

It would indeed be something if he joined Microsoft instead! Don’t think that’s likely though…