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Programming questions tagged will normally relate to Java (since BlackBerry applications are written in Java).

Can we adjust the syntax highlighting so that questions are syntax-highlighted as Java?

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    Bad timing ... the new "BlackBerry 10" can be programmed in lots of ways, but not in Java (except by writing Android apps). – Joachim Sauer Apr 11 '13 at 7:39
  • Curse you RIM! Ok, I guess it's not cut-and-dry then. I'll delete the request! – Duncan Jones Apr 11 '13 at 7:40
  • @Azik Android has Java syntax highlighting. Beside the point, though, I don't think this is a dependable link. If someone asks a question in Blackberry with code, they will also likely tag Java. – user206222 Apr 11 '13 at 7:41
  • @DuncanJones: I don't think you need to delete it. – Joachim Sauer Apr 11 '13 at 7:41
  • @JoachimSauer Can you post an answer containing the essence of your comment and I'll accept it. – Duncan Jones Apr 11 '13 at 7:43
  • @DuncanJones I would avoid deleting it. You can edit it to say it's a bad idea, but it can still stand as a reference for others. – user206222 Apr 11 '13 at 7:43
  • @Telthien: Please don't edit questions to include stuff which belongs in answers. Thanks. – Time Traveling Bobby Apr 11 '13 at 8:20
  • @SulfurizedDemonbobby I didn't edit this post? – user206222 Apr 11 '13 at 8:21
  • @Telthien: No, but you suggested doing so. – Time Traveling Bobby Apr 11 '13 at 8:22
  • @SulfurizedDemonbobby I see no such suggested edit in my activity log. – user206222 Apr 11 '13 at 8:23
  • @Telthien: No, but you said that Duncan Jones should edit the question. – Time Traveling Bobby Apr 11 '13 at 8:24
  • @SulfurizedDemonbobby I think one's own opinion on a question is relevant to that question. If their opinion changed, they should indicate so. – user206222 Apr 11 '13 at 8:26
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    @Telthien: Via an answer, yes. And if an answer from someone else contains that change of mind, it is enough to accept that answer to indicate that you're accepting that it was a bad idea (or similar). – Time Traveling Bobby Apr 11 '13 at 8:27
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    @Telthien, those of us who actively participate in the blackberry tag (none of whom have yet to comment on this question), specifically steer people away from using the java tag, because whenever you do that, a bunch of standard Java people jump in and offer solutions, completely oblivious to the fact that most modern Java APIs are not available on BlackBerry Java (which is 1.3, for the most part). Even tagging with java-me isn't perfect, although most of us consider that vastly better than tagging with java. – Nate Apr 13 '13 at 1:27
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    Does the java-me tag not get Java syntax by default? This seems like an obvious choice for syntax highlighting. – Michael Donohue Apr 13 '13 at 4:49
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While "old school" Blackberry OS development happens mostly in Java (you can write pure native applications as well), the new BlackBerry 10 release does not natively support Java applications (it can run Android applications however).

Blackberry 10 does not currently seem to have lots of questions (probably because the devices are still pretty new, but I suspect it to overtake the classical BlackBerry questions in volume rather quickly.

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    I have very consistently tagged BlackBerry-10 questions with the BlackBerry-10 tag. "BlackBerry" is, and always will be, for the legacy Java-ME based BlackBerry platform. – Michael Donohue Apr 13 '13 at 4:04
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    Additionally, agreeing that both platforms get the "BlackBerry" tag is bowing down to marketing departments, flying in the face of technological understanding of categories. The legacy BlackBerry platform has zero commonality with BlackBerry-10, except for the company that currently owns the intellectual property of each platform. Imagine "DOS" and "X-Box" having the same tag due to common ownership by Microsoft. Nonsense. Equating BlackBerry and BlackBerry-10 is equally nonsensical. – Michael Donohue Apr 13 '13 at 4:26
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I think the real question is whether the blackberry tag will, or should be, reserved for legacy BlackBerry (OS 4 - 7) development. Or, will it now be used to cover BlackBerry 10 development, too.

If it's only going to be used for legacy BB Java development (which is by far the dominant BB development model, pre-BB10), then I vote for making Java syntax highlighting automatic. I can't tell you how often I edit BlackBerry questions just to add the <!-- language-all: lang-java --> markup, because unhighlighted code is almost unreadable, especially when sloppy posters clutter it up with a bunch of stuff that's commented out ... the code prettify function nicely identifies commented-out code.

If the tag, however, should be used for BB-10, and beyond, then Java syntax highlighting should not be activated.

Note that there is already a blackberry-10 tag, and it seems to be getting some use.

I think I would cast my vote for making Java highlighting automatic for blackberry, and a comment here by another Top-10 BlackBerry answerer, Richard, seems to agree (with the part about blackberry being for BB Java).

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  • I am also in the top 10 list, and strongly agree with separation of BlackBerry and BlackBerry-10 by the tags. – Michael Donohue Apr 13 '13 at 4:23
  • @MichaelDonohue, yeah, even RIM/BlackBerry themselves are trying to establish that "BlackBerry 10" is a whole new thing, rather than simply the next version of the OS. Maybe similar to Mac OS X, where version 10 was a major overhaul of the OS. The BB 10 split is probably even more of a difference from its predecessors. – Nate Apr 14 '13 at 4:15
  • Is it worth considering re-branding the blackberry tag to "blackberry-legacy" or similar? – Duncan Jones Apr 14 '13 at 8:13
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    @DuncanJones, I think the only concern I'd have with that is that for tags to really be used properly, they need to be obvious and intuitive. People like Michael, or myself, who spend lots of time curating the BB content, could adapt to such a tagname. But, newbies, who generate most of the questions, are unlikely to think to use that tagname ... unless SO has some features I'm not aware of, whereby it can dynamically react as you type in tags, and suggest replacements. More than just normal autocompletion. – Nate Apr 14 '13 at 8:42

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