I have recently embraced the Extreme Programming (XP) and Agile Modeling (AM) methods (as you probably sensed in this book). After years of using big requirements up front (BRUF) and big design up front (BDUF), I'm thoroughly enjoying this new and natural-feeling style of working, probably because they help me no longer feel guilty about not doing enough documentation or keeping it up-to-date throughout the project life cycle! As for Java, it is thriving and still a dominant technology! I definitely see it remaining that way for at least a few more years because Java runs on everything from mobile phones to electronics to appliances to desktops to small and large servers (with a long list of supported operating systems). Remember, Java is a platform and not merely a language! |