day 23

the java cup is half full 5: are these people nuts?

Sure, Java has swept the wired world like nothing since Frank Sinatra. Software vendors are falling all over themselves to get exposure. I love the cute little coffee names: Borland's Latté is a bolt-on addition to DELPHI; Symantec's Café will soon adorn their C++ compiler. One has to respect PowerSoft for naming its Java clone OPTIMA+, instead of something stupid like Jakarta - oops, that name was recently taken by Microsoft! These people are nuts. The success of Java is temporal, because Java is too limited and restrictive to become as big as Frank Sinatra. Furthermore, Java is too complex. The early adopters who proclaim its simplicity are nerdy C++ hackers who think anything with C++-like syntax is simple. Unfortunately, most people hate C++ because it is error-prone, cryptic, inconsistent, low-level, and downright distasteful. The only thing that can save Java is more hype and a facelift. Maybe JavaSoft will figure this out. Maybe they will cover the ugly face of Java with a pretty GUI. Maybe they will extend it to include useful little things like Input/Output facilities. Maybe they will quietly evolve it into something like Borland's Object Pascal. Maybe the tooth fairy will leave me $10 tonight under my pillow. Java is destined to end up on the garbage heap of history. During its 15 minutes of fame we all thought Java was a VC (Venture Capitalist) in a White Mercedes come to save us from the Redmond juggernaught. But, as soon as Microsoft wakes up to the reality of the Internet, ActiveX and VBScript will roll past Java like it is an accessory at the local Dunkin Donut shop. Too bad, I thought the computer industry had a shot at saving free enterprise from the Wintel cartel. No way.

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