At this year's twelfth annual JavaOne conference, the Java Nation was healthy and vibrant. At a reported 15,000 participants, attendance was strong despite the weak economy, and the conference featured more flexible and simpler choices for enterprise Java development, along with a heavy emphasis on JavaFX as the basis for a new generation of consumer applications. Sun Microsystems also appears to have rejuvenated its innovative spirit as the ringleader of this nation; it has deepened its commitment to an open source strategy and is pushing Java's evolution harder than it has in recent years. ...