Am I a whiny little bitch because I want Java6 on my Mac?

This post set me off today.

Apparently, because I want a modern Java on my Mac, I’m being selfish. Actually more specifically I’m being a “whiny little bitch”.

I bought my MacBook Pro on the promise that Jobs made that said Java would be well supported under OS-X. My business depends on me and our other developers building Java applications for our customers. For nearly a year now, our Mac based developers have held back our company’s ability to deliver Java 6 compliant applications because of the computer that we chose.

So it appears I’ve made the wrong decision to buy a Macintosh? Apple does not want my support / business?

You want to know how Apple will make more money by including Java 6? The answer is simple.

Include Java 6 and you won’t lose the support of companies like mine.

If I’m not running OS-X there’s little incentive for me to look at any of Apple’s shiny APIs - they’re pointless. Keep me on the platform and you might have a chance. Core Animation might be the most amazing thing in the world, but if you’re unable to entice developers into using it (say because we all switched back to Windows / Linux) it’s completely irrelevant.

The Mac has always been a niche platform, with a small but dedicated and vocal community. Apple began making inroads into the corporate development community, and may have just blown it in one fell swoop.

I don’t want to move, but my ability to do business is far more important to me than loyalty to the Apple brand.

Come on Apple, don’t let us down.