Prospectus for J2ME

[Manav Mitra]

I have done some development in J2ME few months agao, however my current work mostly invloves core Java and JSP/Servlets, which is OK.
I have got this offer from a mid-size company (mine is small) to work on J2ME exclusively. The salary hike is good - abt 25-30%.
My Dilemma is - I personally do not like J2ME much, though I do not know enough about it. I would like to work on EJBs and other J2EE stuff, as it is quite hot here in India, but at the same time there are far too many J2EE experts floating around in the market. As for, J2ME, not many people know it so I think if I start early and J2ME picks up well, I'll have a definite edge over others. But I do not realy know what are the prospectus for a J2ME ? What is the future of a J2ME and J2ME programmer? If I work on J2ME for a year or so, I'll be moving away from the development of J2EE and also core Java up to certain extent. So there's this risk as well...
Thought I should ask more experienced people for some insight.
Thanks,
- Manav

[Richard Scothern]

Hi Manav,
This is an interesting dilemma.
Personally I have gone from developing core java to c++ on windows to java with some j2ee and then back to c++ on Symbian (mobile devices) with no problems. On my CV i try to stress the value I bought to the company and language independant skills I developed (OO, modelling, design, testing) rather than which APIs I used.
As far is I recall j2me includes areas such as XML and cryptography and other skills which are transferable to developing enterprise applications. So you may not be locking yourself out of the J2EE market in the future.
Another thing to consider is if your new company will ever develop J2EE applications. And in which direction is your current company heading, the servlet/jsp model isn't that complex that you'll be constantly challenged for long, especially since there are tools to automate building web based java applications.
Personally I think a lot of the current innovation is on mobile devices rather than the desktop, and will be so for the medium term.
hth,
Richard

[Mark Herschberg]

There is a huge push to get Java onto mobile devices. J2ME has prospects for even faster growth then J2EE over the next few years. I'd go for it. Besides, good programming skills are domain independent.
--Mark

[Tim Holloway]

I agree with Mark. Pervasive Computing is an increasingly popular buzzword. Since a lot of these gadgets are still taking shape, there's less of a chance for the software to be commoditized for a while.

[Manav Mitra]

Thanks all for your inputs, I believe "good programming skills are domain independent" but just a bit skeptical about how many employers would agree to this. Here some employers are even specific about the version of Weblogoc you use for J2EE!!!
Anyway, I am also willing to give it a shot, now that consulatant is offering 45% more than what I am getting.
- Manav

[Billy Tsai]

WAP and WML, Microsoft Mobile Internet Toolkit, Java Micro Edition, Palm OS and programming, Compact Dot Net Framework, Instant messaging, Localization.
Building blocks for large applications, Commerce, Portal, XP NUnit, Win XP, Office. XML Web Services Enhancements: Routing, Security, Attachments, Business Workflow, Transactions (MS & IBM). BizTalk architecture: Messaging, Orchestration, XML, XSLT, X#? SQL and XML: OpenXML, For XML, templates, XML updategrams, etc
Grid Computing, and XML Web Services Peer to Peer Computing Scalability, Performance, Measurability (ACT)

[Mark Herschberg]

Originally posted by Manav Mitra:
I believe "good programming skills are domain independent" but just a bit skeptical about how many employers would agree to this. Here some employers are even specific about the version of Weblogoc you use for J2EE!!!

And I believe managers who realize that regular 60 hour work weeks have a negative impact are in the minority. But it doens't matter, I only need to find one for whom to work.
Job postings with laundry lists are a very useful filter in helping me narrow down the companies that actually know how to run a software department.
--Mark

[Manish Hatwalne]

I also have some experience on small devices, and I have used J2ME as well. The J2ME prospectus look quite good in general. However, please do ensure that you are informed about what you'd be doing with J2ME. Usually finishing a small game using J2ME in 1/2 weeks won't be that helpful. Make sure your future employer has the vision that is required to do well in this industry. Coding without design and company woithout proper vision *will* fail, sooner or later!
Besides, even many mid-size companies here operate on a shoe-string budget, so you might find yourself working on "not-so-close" emulators most of the time and as the release date approaches, you'd find that few things simply don't work on the actual Java enabled devices. (These are expensive and comapnies have only a few of them, and marketing ppl usually get hold of them most of the time). These are some experiences I have had while working on small devices using WAP/J2ME n all that. Just thought they might be useful...
Bottomline is, J2ME has good prospectus, but make sure the company you are applying to also has good prospectus. Besides, as Mark said, good programming skills are domain independent; and if I may add, they are also technology independent as well. True skills are - OOPs, analytical and problem solving ability. Combine this with good communication skills (sth that I need to develop ) and you'll come out as winner!
- Manish

[Michael Yuan]

I think J2ME is probably the *only* Java sector that will grow significantly over the next couple years. J2EE skill is becoming a commodity now, except if you are an architect.
However, your J2EE skill can be of great use in the J2ME space. End-to-end Java applications run J2ME on the front end and J2EE on the backend. If you know how to design the overall architecture to make both sides work seamlessly together, your skill will be even more marketable.

[Manish Hatwalne]

Originally posted by Michael Yuan:
I think J2ME is probably the *only* Java sector that will grow significantly over the next couple years. J2EE skill is becoming a commodity now, except if you are an architect.
However, your J2EE skill can be of great use in the J2ME space. End-to-end Java applications run J2ME on the front end and J2EE on the backend. If you know how to design the overall architecture to make both sides work seamlessly together, your skill will be even more marketable.

Thanks for your inputs Michael, coming from you they are invaluable. J2ME on the front end and J2EE on the backend looks like a cool combination. Maybe, m-commerce???
Can you pls elaborate more?
Thanks,
- Manish

[Billy Tsai]

are there still any use for J2SE at all?

[Michael Yuan]

Originally posted by Manish Hatwalne:
J2ME on the front end and J2EE on the backend looks like a cool combination. Maybe, m-commerce???
Can you pls elaborate more?

Yes, basically you will have a consistent and portable architectural from end-to-end. The application can be anything: from consumer mobile commerce to games to internal application within an enterprise. To see how it really works, I would recommend you to read about the SUN wireless java blueprint:
End-to-End J2ME Application Development by Example - Introducing Smart Ticket
By Norman Richards and Michael Yuan
It uses a J2ME frontend and J2EE/EJB backend. The entire architecure follows the faimilar MVC pattern.
cheers
Michael