On 4 Jul 98, at 14:19, Mary McWilliams Johnson wrote:
> I enjoyed the fireworks for only a few seconds. Then the JAVA did its
> thing on my computer - first it forced Eudora to close, then my screen
> went black, and the only option left was to reboot. (It wouldn't respond
> to a warm boot.) I had several applications open at the time, working on a
> Web page. So of course, I had to reopen all applications and set up my
> project again.
>
> This has just added to my list of reasons why people should not use JAVA
> applets on Web pages.
I have to agree and disagree.
I have finally been working in a sort of real world workplace. I have visited a few
companies and seen their IS departments in action and I was always amazed
at how bad things were; how little people knew or cared to know.
The above java applet did not crash my computer or cause any problems. I am
running NT 4.0 build 1381 with service pack 3.
I work at a job and I bring my own computer with me to work. I consider my
computer so vital that I did not want someone else's computer. I use my own. I
should get a laptop though.
Just recently 2 people at work had their computers fail to reboot after
downloading IE 4.0 and companion programs as they stated. I am no sysadmn
but I looked at their computers. The problem was with stacks and the
config.sys file. Why would config.sys even be on a win95 machine? As I said I
am not sysadmn but I don't think the computers were ever properly configured.
I think that java and javascript has the potential to crash a user's computer.
But I don't think a properly written program will do it; but if the user's computer
is improperly configured ....no, it still shouldn't crash it. The program should
really check first and exit gracefully if it doesn not find what it needs.
Since I have been programming in Perl I have discovered that I can write all
sorts of error messages. I can check in advance if some service or file exists
before continuing. It is often easier to just ignore those checks and to just die.
For instance i can do this:
(there are really almost infinite alternatives here)
open(F,"$file");
or
open(F,"$file") || die;
or
open(F,"$file") || die "At line X I could not open File $file to write";
or
open(F,"$file") || &error_handler("die","$!);
or
open(F,"$file") || &error_handler("continue","$!);
and then error_handler can present the user with a message in the case of 'die'
or just keep going in the case of 'continue'. And that same handler can send
anyone or everyone with an email about the problem.
It just seems to me that so many of these errors could be handled in a much
beter way.
And java should be used but users should be sure there computers are in
shape and programmers should write their programs differently.
Peter
_________________________________________________________
Peter J. Schoenster [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Exercise Your Brain..Read a Book http://www.rede.com/
Free CGI Scripts and Applications
http://www.rede.com/samples/index.html
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