Re: Aaron Bartell's RPG/Java comparison

This is kind of off the Java/RPG topic a bit, but what the heck:

I was going to comment on this as well... thinking that the owner of the
desktop has much say in the future might be short-sighted.  I don't think
the future is going to be nearly as centered around the giant desktop
application as today's world is.  (by future, we could be talking about 3-5
years).  Don't buy it?  When did you surf the web for the first time?  5
years ago?  I don't see why a browser plug-in doesn't solve the client
issues for applets.  Afterall, most of us are not running a piece of
Microsoft code to do applets today, right?  I'm not anyway.  But applets
don't personally interest me....

Along the same lines, I don't use anything from Microsoft to run Java
client applications either.  Why would you?  Both Sun and IBM have provided
all the PC-based client support you need.  I am pretty convinced that the a
good Java programmer writes higher quality code (meaning it breaks less
often) then a good C++ programmer.  I don't want to debate theory about how
the two languages or any other language can be comparable.  I'm talking
about in practice in my experience.  That means shorter time to market.
That generally means you win.  Computers are getting pretty fast and cheap.
JDKs like 1.3 are getting pretty optimized.

The comment really struck me as a flashback.  There was the peception five
years ago that Microsoft had to do the client or you were going to get
crushed like a bug.  I don't see that attitude very often anymore, but
occasionally a post like this reminds me that there are still people
thinking this way.  To hell with Microsoft.  If they provide the best
environment, they will probably win again (and we will make Java a
pluggable .NET CLP thingy - whatever they try to tell people these days).
If they don't provide the best environment, they are not going to catch all
the competition sleeping anymore.  To me, Microsoft looks much more like
the bully that's about to finally get their nose broken than the king of
the playground these days.

Regards,

Richard D. Dettinger
AS/400 Java Data Access Team

"Biologists have a special word for stability -- dead"

                Larry Wall
                Open Source Developers Journal
                Issue 1, Jan  2000


Larry Loen/Rochester/IBM@IBMUS@midrange.com on 02/14/2001 02:04:11 PM

Please respond to JAVA400-L@midrange.com

Sent by:  owner-java400-l@midrange.com


To:   JAVA400-L@midrange.com
cc:
Subject:  Re: Aaron Bartell's RPG/Java comparison




Someone wrote:

> Same for JAVA like, "Microsoft doesn't support it".
> Oooh, don't guess those
> are initials.  Does make a point though, unless Sun
> takes over the desktop,
> JAVA's future has been _SEVERELY_ limited...

Actually, it is going to be interesting to see if Microsoft can make this
stick even on the desktop.

There are thousands and millions of applets in the world, all expecting
to run in Netscape, Internet Exporer, and whatever else there is now
and later on.

When thousands and millions of web site owners, some of them undoubtedly
large and loyal Microsoft customers, begin to realise they have to
spend lots of money simply because Microsoft doesn't want to follow an
important industry standard, it will be extremely interesting to see what
happens when they start telephoning Redmond and asking why.

I could go on about this, but you get the idea; this isn't over.

Besides, there is a ready alternative:  If IE or some successor product
stops supporting Java altogether, people will use IE and Netscape
as needed, since many sites won't or can't get rid of their applets.

 Annoying as heck to switch around, but workable.

I wonder if Microsoft really wants _that_.



Larry W. Loen  -   Senior Java and AS/400 Performance Analyst
                          Dept HP4, Rochester MN


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