Java is a Web programming language developed by Sun Microsystems in the mid-1990s as a potential antidote to Microsoft's operating system domination. However, today's Web landscape appears to be shifting in ways that disadvantage Java.
An article in BusinessWeek reveals that the next generation of Web application developers are leaning toward open-source tools featuring LAMP (Linux~Apache~MySQL~PHP) and Microsoft's .NET technologies.
According to a Sun executive Java remains a mainstay of large, complex corporate applications. For example, IBM's WebSphere technology is based on Java. The technology also has a strong presence in cell phone and mobile game programming.
So where should a Web developer focus his/her energies in 2006? Java? LAMP? .NET? At least one of these three competing skill sets needs to part of your Web development toolkit. And LAMP and .NET appear to be the rising stars.
Full disclosure: Last Thursday I attended the Boston leg of Microsoft's worldwide Launch Tour 2005 along with 2,000 other (mostly) middle aged white guys. The day-long geekfest featured marketing presentations, a box lunch and product givaways, all FREE! Not aware that Microsoft was on tour? Check out a Special Edition of the READY Launch Tour 2005.
Can walking away with fully functional copies of Microsoft's Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005, as well as training vouchers, influence my view of the future of Web development? Most likely. That demonstrates the power of Microsoft's marketing muscle. But, facts are facts; and Beantown Web will continue to present a fair and balanced view of training and career opportunities for Web Developers in the greater Boston area.
