JavaFX

Many web developers who want to add interactive content to their sites are not able to invest in Macromedia Flash. An easier and cheaper solution would be to use JavaFX, a client platform that creates RIAs or rich internet applications. With JavaFX, you can create applications for computers, mobile phones, and other devices.

JavaFX is a scripting language built for the Java Platform. To build applications, you need the JDK, Java Development Kit 6 update 11 or above.

Eclipse and NetBeans IDE can build and preview JavaFX programs. Sun offers several bundles that incorporate JavaFX functionality into given programs.

Developers who wish to use command line or other tools can download the standalone SDK. All downloads are available here.

The JavaFX script is easy to learn and is geared toward web developers. Its syntax reflects the visual content of the application and requires no prior programming knowledge. Tutorials for using JavaFX can be accessed here.

JavaFX supports animation, audio, web services (such as Flickr), and media streaming (video and music). Probably the most useful feature of this language is its ability to “bind”. With this feature, synchronizing several data states to user actions becomes extremely easy.

One of the downsides of using JavaFX is that it takes a good amount of time to load as do many other Java applications, such as web applets. Even so, this scripting language is highly suggested by Resource Mania for developers who want to access their clients on multiple platforms without excessive expenses.