> ... but it's just sad (for me) to see it's complete > functionality handcuffed to a language that's controlled > by an entity like Sun (things like dangling their language > above Microsoft's head don't give a very good image of them. > Microsoft's intentions or not, that sh*t's not cool at all > from my perspective. And though Macromedia is in competition > with microsoft's efforts in some respects, is there a written > agreement that Sun can't legally do the same to you if you > discovered some needed changes to the VM?).
I wouldn't worry too much about this. Things that become popular gain a momentum all their own. While Sun controls the language specification, if they decided to change it tomorrow, all of the big players who couldn't do what they needed to would then build their own, nearly identical language, to run their server-side toys. Simply put, just because Scott McNealy is the captain doesn't mean he can steer the ship single-handedly. Also, while I disagree with Sun's decision to keep Microsoft from deploying their own version of the Java libraries, the issues there are a little different. Microsoft wasn't willing to deploy some Sun-approved Java class libraries, and wanted to provide their own Windows-specific alternatives. Now, it's my understanding that you can add whatever class libraries you want to your licensed VM distribution, but you have to provide the ones that Sun says are part of the "core Java language". Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software http://www.figleaf.com/ voice: (202) 797-5496 fax: (202) 797-5444 ______________________________________________________________________ Dedicated Windows 2000 Server PIII 800 / 256 MB RAM / 40 GB HD / 20 GB MO/XFER Instant Activation � $99/Month � Free Setup http://www.pennyhost.com/redirect.cfm?adcode=coldfusiona FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
