JavaFX 1.2 Test Drive - Introduction

It's Showtime!

eLearning game Tech Test Train (video) is out for your viewing and learning pleasure. Please enjoy, test your JavaFX knowledge, learn, comment, vote, ask questions, send recommendations.

The game has been created entirely in JavaFX 1.2. It intentionally uses only a few lines of Java code, for the sake of purity and proof of concept.

Tech Test Train has been created according to the game story board, not as a JavaFX demo. We had to cut a few corners by the end and omit a few features due to the platform functional and performance problems, but we've made through majority of turns without cutting corners, and now know pretty well what works and how to make it work.

This series of articles will tell about our experience how to use current JavaFX technology for real world multimedia projects, how to work with it as a team of designers, artists, developers. It may be useful for companies and individuals that evaluate JavaFX as a platform for their next applications or mid- to long-term direction.

While I bear responsibility for most of this release coding, Tech Test Train is a team effort. I would like to mention the crew and people without whose support this release could not be possible: Octavian Tanase and Peter Fernandez (blessing); Sophia Mikulinsky (project management); Mary Lautner (program management); Cindy Church (game content); Linda Ross (game design); Dwayne Wolff (graphics and video); Tony Beckham (quality); Bae-Chul Kim (media playback); Rakesh Menon (performance); David Grieve, Craig Hansen-Sturm, Sandeep Konchady, Stuart Marks, Winston Prakash, Dmitri Trembovetski, Tony Wyant (advice); Jim Weaver (coaching and inspiration); Stephen Chin (review and bugs).

I am sure that Tech Test Train will help to create a bridge to cross a chasm between early adopters and early majority of JavaFX technology. There will be more applications like this, but Tech Test Train may be remembered among the first that paved the way to the new RIA era.

In the next chapters I will look into technical and process details. Please do not turn that dial...