Does an Open Java Really Matter? 766
snydeq writes "Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister questions the relevance of the recent opening of Java given the wealth of options open source developers enjoy today. Sure, as the first full-blooded Java implementation available under a 100 percent Free Software license, RedHat's IcedTea pushes aside open source objections to developing in Java. Yet, McAllister asks, if Java really were released today, brand-new, would it be a tool you'd choose? 'The problem, as I see it, is twofold,' he writes. 'First, as the Java platform has matured, it has become incredibly complex. Today it's possible to do anything with Java, but no one developer can do everything — there simply aren't enough hours in the day to learn it all. Second, and most important, even as Java has stretched outward to embrace more concepts and technologies — adding APIs and language features as it goes — newer, more lightweight tools have appeared that do most of what Java aims to do. And they often do it better.'" Since Java itself never mattered except to sell books, I still don't see why opening it matters.
Re:Java never mattered (Score:3, Funny)
What do you expect from someone that still uses perl?
Re:Java never mattered (Score:5, Funny)
Everyone knows Java is in heavy use in various industries
particularly Publishing and eCommerce :-)
Re:Use debian? (Score:1, Funny)
There were some really good programmers out there which happened to program their useful app in a crap language for a crap platform because they believed the hype. Luckily nobody is using Java outside of the corporate world anymore.
Re:Java never mattered (Score:5, Funny)
He must be referring to Amazon's use of Java.
never mattered (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Java never mattered (Score:5, Funny)
Java isn't just for selling books. Look at how many Java libraries are around.
Re:W(h)ither Programming Languages? (Score:5, Funny)
Pearl. All the other terms are correctly spelled?
Re:Use debian? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Java never mattered....? (Score:3, Funny)
Neither have you. The proper statement would be "you must be new here".
Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch (Score:5, Funny)
No Multiple Inheritance. Slower than a 486. Lame.
Re:"Java never mattered"? (Score:5, Funny)
C++ will always have a place in my heart & I'll use it when ever practical.
Don't you mean &&?
Re:(Troll) I hate java, why does /. love it? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch (Score:2, Funny)
ahh Taco's just still mad over java invaders.
search for java [cmdrtaco.net]
Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch (Score:2, Funny)
"Please read 1984 before you talk about 1984. Thank you."
Hell, no. I saw the movie.
Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch (Score:4, Funny)
Maybe if you rewrote Slashdot in Java...
... then Slashdot could finally get slashdotted?
** ducks **
Re:Multiple Inheritance (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch (Score:4, Funny)
Ya, i read it on slashdot [slashdot.org].
Re:Java never mattered (Score:5, Funny)
I edit code like $DIETY intended: with vi. When I insert a tab, then BY $DIETY I expect 0x09 to be inserted into my ASCII-only, 7-bit-safe, mostly-human-readable text file.
Heh. That sounds like a crotchety-old-programmer joke, and it is, except it's not entirely a joke. I really do use vi as my primary coding editor. I guess I just like the pain; it reminds me I'm alive.
And the crotchety old programmer bit? That's not a joke either. Now get off my lawn, you emacs-using kids!
Re:Mod parent funny! (Score:5, Funny)
Holy crap, you're right! I haven't seen that trick pulled since here [slashdot.org].
Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch (Score:5, Funny)
1999 called, they want their trolls back.
Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch (Score:3, Funny)
The only business that would go under if Slashdot stopped working would be Slashdot.
Actually, I bet that a lot of job-search sites would go bottoms-up if Slashdot stopped working - companies would find their employees were suddenly more productive, meaning that they had to do less hiring; and people would stop being fired for surfing Slashdot at work.
Come to think of it, Slashdot could be propping up the entire global economy right now. Maybe I should consider finally becoming a subscriber.
Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch (Score:3, Funny)
I have seen the Apple ad... Is it enough? ;)