Tom Lawrence: This is the last time Mac users will be seeing...

This is the last time Mac users will be seeing this via Software Update and potentially the end of Java altogether on Mac OS X. Even if Oracle do have plans to produce their own implementation of Java for Macs, developers that choose Java as their language of choice will be unable to publish their apps on Apple’s recently announced Mac App Store. This means no Minecraft, no Netbeans, no PS3 Media Server, no NASA World Wind, no jDownloader, no Azureus and probably a tonne of other apps (although let’s face it - half of these apps are terrible anyway) that thousands, potentially millions of Macs use on a daily basis, all of which are officially banned from the App Store.

It’s a smart move by Apple (considering the 30% cut they get from all App Store purchases) and almost definitely a step forward from the user’s perspective. As for developers, it could greatly reduce the number of people willing to learn Objective-C and jump through the necessary hoops to publish their software on the platform.

At the rate that Apple are beginning to take control over software distribution on their platforms, it is only a matter of time till they announce all software must be signed and installed via the App Store and we have to resort to jailbreaking our computers to run unsigned third-party software.