Apple hyping java...

David Chase chase at world.std.com
Sat Mar 30 01:43:24 UTC 2002


At 04:12 PM 3/29/2002 -0600, Aaron J Reichow wrote:
>> Oh yeah, Java SUCKS.
>Too true!

Guys,

It doesn't suck enough to make a difference, and too many
times people have declared that "thus-and-such-sucks" for
that simple assertion to convince anyone.  Remember, people
aren't comparing Java to Squeak (or ML, or Haskell) -- they're
comparing it to C++.  In that comparison, Java looks pretty
good.

If you want to convince someone, you have got to put a little
more work into your argument, and think a bit about your
audience.

Just for example -- I wouldn't write a compiler in Squeak.
I might write a game, or a web server, or a graphical app,
in Squeak.  From what I see of the discussions of threads
and security on this list, I am not at all sure that I would
use Squeak in a context where I really needed lots of threads
running well, or someplace where I had to worry about someone
finding a way in through some hole; the discussions have just
not been very confidence-inspiring.

That's just my advice, worth at least what you paid for it.
I downloaded Squeak once and played with it, and thought it
was very interesting, but could never figure out where to
begin.  I don't have enough free time for this sort of
unguided adventure, and I don't think I differ much from most
people (except that I probably pick up languages faster than
your average bear, and I actually think it would be good for
me to learn Squeak).

So, to get to the point, you should either quit whinging about
how much Java sucks and how misguided Apple is, or you should
do something about it.  And YOU should do something about it;
I also want to become more proficient in ML and Haskell, and I
will pursue whichever learning curve is gentlest.

yours, grumpily,

David Chase (who usually just reads this list)




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