> Which implies Java is only providing a low level core and expecting the
> "ecosystem" to build usable libraries based on it.
>
> Yet, when looking at many of the libraries I use regularly, I get the
> opposite impression.  It seems more common to take away stuff.

I was mainly speaking about the syntax of the language instead of its
API. I agree it could be verbose in many cases but I hope everybody
here agree that it is not complex at all. Never.

As for the API I don't mind a lot because either I like the native
ones or I can find a great replacement in what I called the "java
ecosystem". And in this last case I think there isn't anything wrong.
For example:

> fileutils takes away almost all of the declared exceptions that I honestly
> never need in most scenarios

I totally agree. I know that somebody here has a different point of
view, but I think that checked exceptions have been one of the biggest
mistake in the original language design.

> stringutils takes away the need to explicitly test for nulls every third
> line

This is a bit more questionable. If you need to check for null every
third line of code, maybe there is something that needs to be reviewed
in your code.

> google collections takes away mutability when it's not actually needed

I like google collections as well. And if you use them ...
[start_of_advertising] maybe you could be interested in the lambdaj
collections too ( http://code.google.com/p/lambdaj/wiki/LambdaCollections
) [end_of_advertising] :)

> jodatime is a complete replacement for Date/Calendar.  It doesn't build on
> it but instead takes away an API that is, frankly, a pain in the proverbial

Yes. The original java Date/Calendar is probably the most awful java
API I have ever seen.

> It's very hard to defend a core API as being foundational when so many of
> the 3rd party libraries are subtractive!
> Though it does reinforce the idea that Java is perhaps too verbose and laden
> with boilerplate.
> Really, Java isn't so simple as it's made out to be, it just feels that way
> because it's the devil you know...

Again Java syntax is more than simple: it is trivial.  And if you can
find a good replacement for an API you don't like where is the
problem?

Bye,
Mario
@twitter: @mariofusco

-- 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The 
Java Posse" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at 
http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en.

Reply via email to