The 13th annual JavaOne developer conference brought a new meaning to the Rich Internet Applications (RIA) with the help of JavaFX, a new tool to create the latest consumer-oriented Web applications across “all the screens of your life,” as Rich Green, executive vice president of Software at Sun Microsystems, said in his opening keynote.

"Java technology has evolved to be the most powerful, scalable and secure development platform for a broad range of enterprise and mobile applications," said Green. "Consumer demand is where the action is and with 2.2 billion mobile devices and 91 percent of all desktops, Java technology has become a constant digital companion, playing an essential role in everyday life.”

For the JavaOne conference, Sun worked on some demos based on the JavaFX Rich Client Technology, including Movie Cloud (a 3D sphere with high-definition videos), Photo Flocker (“the future of rendering photo flash before their eyes") and Connected Life (to show how easy it can be to create RIAs by delivering an application across a Web browser, social network, desktop or mobile phone).

The JavaFX includes JavaFX Script, created for Web scripters, designers and developers, to help them build the latest generation of RIAs for desktop, mobile, TV and other consumer devices, Sun explained. For the fall of 2008, we can expect the JavaFX Desktop for browser and desktop to be delivered, while the first versions of JavaFX TV should arrive by spring next year.

“Java technology is now ready for the new creative audiences that have emerged in response to consumer demand for rich content - scripters, social application creators, designers, content authors and consumers who will join the Java ecosystem of more than six million developers to take Java technology in exciting new directions,” Green said in his keynote.