Is it too late for JavaFX to succeed

For example, JavaFX offers native access to Java classes, unlike with Flash and Flex, where developers must use a bridge to access these classes, Weaver says.

Microsoft's rich media entrant, Silverlight, seems too closely tied to Microsoft's own platform, Weaver says. And with AJAX and JavaScript, the many variants of JavaScript and issues with instability in the browser make them problematic for RIA usage, he adds.

Java, however, features the No. 1 language and virtual machine, Weaver says. "I don't think it's too late" for JavaFX to compete, he adds. Weaver also anticipates more UI components are forthcoming for JavaFX, via a release known both as JavaFX 1.3 and the code name SoMa.

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