Dalvik: How Google Routed Around Sun’s IP-based Licensing Restrictions on Java ME

How nice to be able to solve a political and business problem by writing a compiler. Instead of licensing Java ME for their Android cell phone platform, Google wrote their own virtual machine called Dalvik (via John Gruber). The Android SDK includes a tool called “dx” that translates Java .class files into Dalvik .dex files. So you can use your existing Java code and tools, but the phone doesn’t actually run the Java VM. And since Dalvik is a register machine, perhaps this will invigorate the old register vs. stack debate.

Ten New Things in WebKit 3

Maciej Stachowiak:

Apple’s site can tell you a lot about the new end-user features of Safari 3. But a lot of the goodness is on the inside, in the WebKit engine that powers Safari. Here’s a list of ten of the most exciting engine enhancements since the Safari 2 version of WebKit, with lots of details and demos. These features are all included in the WebKit that comes with Safari 3 - you don’t have to download nightlies or anthing else to get them.

Lots of performance improvements.