I think that java UDFs are really important now as java is more and more
the first language used in the corporate world (much more than Delphi
that I used a lot, and even c++). Java is very well
suited to deal with Unicode Strings, which are a strong point of
Firebird too. The problem is the that the functions delivered don't
work with Unicode (ex : Upper) : they could be easily replaced by java
UDFs.
This feature is available in Oracle and DB2.

I have found here a functionnal specification which could be great if
implemented :
http://www.ibphoenix.com/main.nfs?a=ibphoenix&page=ibp_java_udf_fs

What do you think ?

Patrick