Today Gluon is very happy to release the Gluon JavaFX Mobile SDK 8.60.6 for Android and iOS. This release is the successor of the javafxports 8u60-b5 release. The new release is based on the very latest 8u-dev repository of the OpenJFX project. As such, all bug fixes that are included in the 8u-dev tree over the last months are now also in the mobile SDKs.
We started with a clean sheet, and added as few patches as possible to make the SDKs work on mobile. Most of the commits that we pushed to previous versions of the Gluon Mobile SDKs are already pushed and accepted in the OpenJFX project, so the difference between our bitbucket repository and the OpenJFX 8u-dev repository is really small.
Apart from the generic bug fixes, the new release has lots of enhancements in the underlying glass and prism code that is specific to Android and iOS. We now have a better foundation to work on functionality that is specific to a mobile platform, or that changes between releases of the mobile platform. Those enhancements have also been pushed back to the OpenJFX repository.
Getting the SDK
The best way to use the SDK and create JavaFX applications for mobile devices, is by using the JavaFX Mobile Gradle plugin, as explained in the JavaFXPorts documentation. Version 1.0.3 of the JavaFX Mobile Gradle plugin, which has just been released, is already pre-configured to work with the new 8.60.6 releases of the mobile SDKs.
If you want more fine-grained control over your build procedure, you can always download the latest release of the Gluon JavaFX Mobile SDK from this website.
Release Schedule
As explained in our blog post yesterday, we now have a release plan for providing open source software (including the Gluon JavaFX Mobile SDKs). In summary, every six months we plan to release a public binary based on the latest code in the open-source repository. This will be a highly-polished release with new features and bug fixes. Our Open Source Commercial Support customers have access to binary releases that are built more regularly: we provide monthly and daily releases. Of course, developers that want to take advantage of the very latest features and fixes can use the code in the open-source repository and build a custom version of the mobile SDK whenever they want.
Fixing Bugs
There are several ways to have a particular issue be fixed:
- All code is open source, and accessible at bitbucket. Developers can either fork the repository, fix your issue and build an SDK, or you can create a pull request and have us review and integrate your fix. We very much encourage this.
- You can file an issue and hope someone will fix it.
- If you are a Gluon Open Source Commercial Support customers, you can influence the priority of issues. Gluon engineers work on high-priority issues first, so this is your opportunity to influence the roadmap. When the issue is fixed, it will be in the next public release. If you don’t want to wait for that release, you can either build the SDK yourself, or you can become a Gluon Open Source Commercial Support customer and you will get access to daily or monthly builds.
- If you urgently need a particular issue to be fixed, you can get Gluon professional services to investigate and fix your issue on a time and material basis.
We worked hard on the 8.60.6 release, and we are very happy with the result. The new release schedule and the commercial options will allow us to make JavaFX grow fast on mobile. All development is done in the open, and we encourage participation from the wider community. Commercial entities can be assured that the support they require for developing and running applications on mobile devices is available directly from Gluon – contact us for more information.