Worried about learning Java Swing.

Question

I came to know that Java Swing will not be developed further and will be maintained only for backward compatibility [1],[2].

I haven't been able to find any successor to Java Swing (maybe one isn't decided yet).

The primary reason for me trying to learn Java Swing is related to getting a job. I have developed J2ME mobile apps, J2EE web apps. Now I want to add desktop apps to my portfolio.

Is learning Java Swing worth the time and effort for the purpose mentioned above, or will it be considered outdated by people reviewing my portfolio?

P.S. Time is a limited resource at the moment for me so every week spent in learning something amounts to a missed interview. So it must be really worth it for me to consider. I am in a time-critical situation.

UPDATE: As some comments have pointed out, my question is based on information that I have misunderstood for something else. Thanks to Ken, keuleJ and npsken for making things clear :)

Answer 1

I don't think Java Swing has been deprecated, I haven't heard of it. There are however other technologies you can use to implement applications with a user interface:

• Java FX
• If you're using Eclipse as IDE then there is SWT and the Eclipse Platform.
• If you're using Netbeans as IDE then there is the Netbeans Platform

You still need to start somewhere to create "Rich-User Interface" apps, and Java Swing is at least a good start. You'll need to learn new things later on anyway.

Answer 2

How does learning something anmount to a missed interview? Surely interviews are high-level interupts? I'd buy that learning something amounts to not learning something else.

I would say that Swing is not the best Java-realted UI technology to learn right now. I see far more Javascript UI -> Java REST services. I would recommend looking at Dojo or jQuery in preference to spending time on Swing.

Answer 3

Java Swing is the current de-facto way of writing Java GUI programs. (The only other contender is Eclipse SWT)

I would recommend you learn it, and learn it well (which may take some time).

You may also want to - instead of learning new stuff - show excellence by create a stunning demo using the stuff you already know.