On Wed, Feb 17, 1999 at 01:17:43AM -0800, Steve Byrne wrote:
> > But what techincal advantage do they really give? Java is slower, uses more
> > system resources, etc.
>
> John, if you don't like Java, can you please tell us why you feel it's
> necessary to clog this mailing list with your anti-Java sentiments? I don't
> think it's being constructive.
I am really getting annoyed with people picking out bits and pieces of what
I wrote. You, and others, are taking it out of context.
I have explained the areas in which I feel Java has an advantage over other
languages -- for example, development of large-scale client GUIs. I have
also explained the areas in which I feel Java has some catching up to do,
for example, tasks involving parsing.
If you feel that any particular language, including Java, is the best choice
for every possible task, then you need to take a larger view of reality.
The fact is that Java is not the best in all areas. Likewise, Perl is not
the best in all areas. Neither is C. For that matter, neither is Linux or
Windows.
You use the tool that's right for the job. I use Java for some things, Perl
for some things, C for some, C++, shell scripting, etc. All of them have
their unique advantages and disadvantages.
You would probably think me crazy to use shell scripting for a GUI. While
technically possible, it would be horrendous code. Likewise, I would
probably think that using Java for an application that does a lot of
complicated parsing of input, computation, and then generation of output
would not be wise; Perl is better suited to that task. Similarly, if I were
writing a webserver or other server that could see high levels of load, C is
really the only good choice. Perl and Java may require less code, but the
performance would not be the same simply because of the abstraction in order
to make it system-independant -- although Perl is closer to Unix than Java.
The interpretation cost and memory overhead hurts, too.
Constructive criticism is a well-known useful device. If I point out to the
Perl people that the lack of strong typing can make large projects
difficult, and thus make Java a better tool for the job, perhaps the Perl
people will consider adding typing to the language (and indeed, they are
doing so). Likewise, if I point out to Java people that Java's parsing
capabilities are weak compared to Perl, perhaps they will add something to
help with that. In the end, everone wins, because all the languages
improve.
I fail to see what's wrong with talking about Java's unique benefits and
problems in a Java list.
John
