day 22

the java cup is half full 4: the java two-step

Java was an unlikely accident. If the PR machine had not gotten out of hand, Java might have evolved into a nice academic language, a notch on Gosling's resume. Instead, Java burst onto the public stage as something far more than it really is. The Java two-step has surpassed the language itself as the current dance craze of Silicon Valley. Java technology must overcome performance, scalability, security, and immaturity problems, or else it will become an embarrassment to Sun Microsystems. Here are some reasons: 1. Java applets run only on the client side; their usefulness as a server technology is uncertain. The need for a server language remains important because most money will be made from Intranets (Internal corporate Internets). 2. Java applets are supposed to be small, yet nobody writes small programs anymore. What happens in ten years when half of the programmers in existence are maintaining million-line Java applets? 3. Java is currently restricted: it is basically a GUI animation language. Java cannot write to a disk or perform security functions, etc. Java is a toy. 4. Java is interpretive, which means it is slow. If it is compiled onto the client machine to gain speed, portability is lost. Isn't portability the whole purpose of Java? 5. Java is far too complex. Even though it is simpler than C++, Java is a hacker's language, not a language for the masses. Visual BASIC, in the form of VBScript, will probably flatten Java on its way towards domination of the Internet scene. 6. Java has to compete with Netscape Plug-ins, which are an alternative to applet technology. There seems to be little economic incentive for software developers to use Java (which exposes their code to anyone who can read cryptic Java), when a plug-in can be used instead. Plug-ins run faster, and they conform to the industry standard for software licensing. Is Java for the dying breed of freeware developers? These are weaknesses that can be overcome, but my point is this: after the hype dies down, what will be left? Java's cup may be half full, but the empty half will soon be filled by big, mean, nasty competitors. Who are these scrappers?

the java cup is half full: 1 2 3 4 5 Daily Dose Index