Java App Store Coming Soon!

Danny Coward, Chief Client Software Architect at Sun, blogs that the Java Store is almost ready to open its doors.  Similar to Apple's app store, the Java store will be a place for developers to sell their Java and JavaFX-based applications.  Sun hopes to attract about six million Java developers to submit applications to the Java store back-end, the Java Warehouse repository.

At June's (final?) JavaOne conference, Sun unveiled the beta program for the Java Store front.  Since then, Sun's architects have been working on issues such as payment mechanisms and the criteria governing submissions.  Sun says the general release of the Java Store will feature new search functions and a revamped UI, plus a bunch of other things we don't even know about yet.

6.5 billion non-U.S. residents are feeling a bit left out though.  The current beta is only available in the U.S. but Sun says access to the Java Store outside of the U.S. will start in 2010.  Since no international participation was present in the beta, Sun will need to surmount the obstacles of bringing the Java Store to other countries if it hopes to get the traffic it wants.  International developers will also have to wait to sell their Java apps at the Java Store.  Sun says the Java Warehouse Developer Portal will be accessible to additional countries "in the coming months."  They can notify you when the portal becomes available in your country if you provide your email.  Another question is whether devlopers will build more RIAs for Java ME, the carriers preference, or using Sun's preferred JavaFX.  We'll just have to wait and see how the Java Store evolves and how it is recieved.

Despite uncertain reception of the coming Java Store, Java founder James Gostling remains optimistic.  Gosling says he has high hopes for the Java Store saying, "The size of the market when you glue together all of these domains where you can deploy Java applications, it's a couple of billion at least."