Is this the last JavaOne ever?

I’ve heard this question asked quite a few times around the hallways of the Moscone Center this week.

There are no guarantees or definite answers, even Ellison didn’t really provide many details when asked (he probably can’t) but I think the answer is a definite no.

It is well known that Java is a big part of why Oracle is buying Sun. Ellison’s address to the attendees last Tuesday served to reassure the Java community that Oracle is not here to tear Java apart piece by piece. Quite the contrary, he seems willing to continue to invest in the platform.

But let’s remember that buying Java means more than making Sun employees your employees, or buying widgets. What Oracle is also getting in the deal is the Java community … no small incentive for a technology company. Removing JavaOne from the landscape wouldn’t make sense for Oracle since that could threaten goodwill and slowly erode the community and enthusiasm for the Java platform.

From the many college students attending this year, learning about Java for the first time (I’ve met 2 that say their Universities only teach C/C++) to the sometimes heated discussions about technologies and new language features (like the Modularity Q&A, oh boy, stay tuned for my blog post on that one!). A lot of these interactions are hard to do effectively without an event like this, where people can freely and dynamically regroup and discuss their ideas about the Java platform.

So no, I don’t think Oracle will “deprecate” JavaOne. Expect it to change of course, but don’t expect it to disappear and be merged with OpenWorld anytime soon.

BTW, this is likely the last JavaOne conference Scott McNealy will ever attend and he acknowledged that during his keynote. In a very emotional moment, McNealy said his last goodbye to the community at the conference … and from what I could tell even choked up a bit.

When he was done presenting, he was greeted with a standing ovation from the audience. Afterward, he hung around and took pictures with many of the participants.

I thought this was a nice moment, and I think the gesture from the audience was very kind. Whatever you say about McNealy, nobody can deny his passion and the trust he always put on his team, especially to his engineers.

From left to right; Dan Salt, Scott McNealy, some guys with his eyse closed and me