From the “Java is still cool” files:
A year after first launching AppEngine, Google is now adding early support for Java. At launch AppEngine — which lets developers run their code on Google infrastructure — was Python-only.
Google has also added import/export support for its AppEngine database, which is a key thing. It means that it will be easier to build larger sites and uses datasets that didn’t originate on AppEngine infrastructure.
The move to support Java, in a limited way, really doesn’t amount to much yet in my view. Initially they’re limiting Java access to 10,000 developers, so over time no doubt Java usage will grow. For now though, Python is still the King of AppEngine.
“In making Google’s infrastructure broadly available, App Engine has helped over 150,000 developers focus on designing and launching great products, without the usual scale and maintenance headaches,” said Andrew Bowers, Product Manager at Google in a statement. “Today — with newly launched features, and an early look at Java language support — we’re making Google App Engine a viable deployment option for more and more application developers.”
Google is also extending AppEngine for more secure data connections, something called — Google Secure Data Connector. The basic idea is to provide access to behind the firewall data in a secure manner.