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MSFT claims that an additional cost of using OO is that it doesn't come with an email client, unlike Office (Outlook), so 'customers may incur a licensing cost associated with buying an email application'. I think it is noteworthy to point out that there are many free email clients, notably Evolution and KMail on Linux, and Mozilla Mail, Scribe, Mahogany, and YAMM for Windows/cross platform.

The CPAN commmunity makes all this happen. If you have never used it, it is quite slick. The process goes something like this:
# install somenew:package
downloading |----------------100%|
compiling |----------------100%|
testing |--------------OK|

The Giant Java Tree is a nice collection of Java software, but it doesn't have the automatic downloads or tests. It also isn't as comprehensive as CPAN, but that is mostly because of the mountains of Java software available.

If your google search doesn't turn up any relavent hits, then going for the repositories might be a good idea, but which repository you turn to is likely to be language dependant. Depending on the subject matter you might even do well by picking up a book.

I know java best, so I'll give my favorite Java repository: The Giant Java Tree

Perl hackers will probably recommend CPAN

I'm sure you will get an different site from each developer on Slashdot.

Java has a better library structure than perl, with each package being in a well defined place in the classpath. Also documentation for Java libraries tends to be better because of the javadoc comments that everybody writes. Regression tests and dependency checking for java libraries would be cool.

Luckily, there are great places to turn for java libraries even without CPAN supporting them. The Apache Project has many classes that I consider essential now. The Giant Java Tree has thousands of open source libraries. Not to mention the stuff I've written.

I originally wasn't going to write a response to this, thinking that the whole premise was ludicrous. There doesn't have to be linux support for Java, you just write java and it runs on any platform. There is a large amount of Open Source support for Java, from the Giant Java Tree, to the Java, Jakarta, and XML Apache projects. There is even an Open Source application server called Enhyra that supports pretty much everything you would expect from an enterprise class J2EE server. And if you don't like open source, then BEA's WebLogic server runs fine on Linux.

So why is there an impression that the Linux community doesn't support Java? One thing I will say is that if you are a Java supporter, you probably aren't a strong Linux supporter. That is because Java is platform independent. A Java developer doesn't care what platform they are on. Before people respond to this with the typical FUD that Java isn't cross, platform, bear in mind that all of the open source projects above run on all the platforms I've ever used them on, without any recompilation. Xerces worked on Win2K and linux. Tomcat worked on Win2K, linux, and Solaris. I don't know about weblogic, since I haven't tries moving the binaries over (I just used the rpm on linux, install on Win2K). Development in Java is development in Java. If you do it right (meaning don't setLayout(null)), it'll work. If you're server side, you have no worries.

That being said, Blackdown supports JDK1.3, the latest release of the JDK on any other platform. It seems that the majority of the OS developers I know from the projects I listed use linux as their development machine. And let's face it, Java is giving linux a lot of credibility in the server side market because it's sinking in that spending 20,000 on a single Sparc if better spent on a cluster of linux machines running (insert appserver du jour here).

Finally, you can go ahead and say that it isn't making any headway on the desktop. Well, that's true, but it isn't making headway on any platform's desktop. Linux is no exception.

You can try to say that it isn't making headway in the embedded market, but with the KVM for larger embedded devices (>40K RAM), and real-time specification fromt the community development, you'd be wrong.

I'm surprised that JDJ would print such tripe. I'm not surprised that Slashdot twisted it even farther and threw in a bunch of FUD.

In addition to cvs access the gjt will compile your program, create zip files of your program that can be downloaded. There is a Web based interface to the CVS (a servlet) which you can download and set up elsewhere if you wish.

There is also a CVS client written in java that I highly recommend for anybody that likes a bit of a GUI for using CVS. It works well under both windows and linux.

The whole thing is run by Tim Enders, and is simply amazing.

The single biggest screw up in the Java L&F is the insistence that the alt key must be used for shortcuts. You cannot override this in your application.

This is incorrect. The Java Foundation Classes themselves do not support other shortcuts but ALT+key, but the framework is very easy to extend by using the normal methods of OOP.

Check out jEdit for example. Most of its shortcuts are CTRL+key and many are behind two control keys, like CTRL+e CTRL+x.

Framework does not support it, but it doesn't mean it can't be extended to support it.

No..they havent. If you want free java code head over to : GJT. You can also contribute yer code to the GPLed tree.

I'm not sure if it has the specific syntax highlighting for JSP, but you might try Jedit. It has undergone many updates and the development seems very active.


Personally I have gotten more minimalistic over time. I used to use IDEs and now I just use vi and let my mind (and compiler) do syntax verification. Sure, there are better things to clutter the mind with but it just feels good to use vi.

Correct me if I am wrong but Swing supports something called pluggable look and feel (I believe I spelled pluggable right). If it does, this means that a BeOS L&F will most likely be made for BeOS. Thus, Swing will look quite a bit like BeOS's UI, unless you don't know how to change the look and feel.

As for the "idiotic 'Pure Java' crap," I'll have to disagree. If Sun "[retracts] on Pure Java, allowing better integration into BeOS, Windows, Linux, etc.," why write in Java at all? You might as well write in C/C++ or some other language (higher level than those two if you like). However, by encouraging Pure Java, Sun encourages applications that will work on all standards compliant virtual machines. That means that I won't have to take my... integrated Windows code and modify it heavily so that it will run on BeOS. If I write my program in Windows, it will work on BeOS, Linux, Solaris, or whatever platform that I choose to run it on, provided there is a VM available.

Finally, going back to the Swing issue, I'd say you are wrong on the speed argument as well. I have the JDK 1.3beta installed, and am running jEdit (my favorite text editor). It uses Swing, and I have absolutely no problems with the way it works, speed or otherwise. It could be that whatever platform you are using has a poor implementation. Hotspot makes a lot of difference (at least for me). If they are going to include Hotspot in the package (which would make sense since Sun is making the port), then I would say the GUI will be fine.

Before you complain about Sun shoving "crap" towards you, maybe you should think about why they are doing so. There are actual reasons for writing in pure Java, and it isn't as slow as many people claim.

I take no responsibility for grammar, spelling and usage in this post, as it is late, and I don't really care. I thank you for the time you spent reading this.

Just my luck that when I finally find time/warrant to post something, the moderators are probably done doing their job. Oh well, I can live on no karma, as long as it isn't negative.

And here's a a link to Giant Java Tree :)

Most Java development has little to do with applets now. Lots more Applications are being developed that applets. One interesting thing is the Open Java Interface at Mozilla.org (I think the URL is http://www.mozilla.org/oji/ but don't quote me. Just poke around and you should find it). It allows Mozilla to use the latest version of the JRE installed on the computer without an 8 megabyte plugin. Very handy idea.

--Distribution--

Have you used Java 2? I believe that was the version that allowed you to give the VM a jar file to run. You specify the main class of the jar file in the manifest, and then do something like this:

java -jar MyApp.jar

c:\jdk12\jre\bin\javaw.exe -jar

As for the GUI, I'll admit that it leaves something to be desired. However, Swing in the JDK 1.3 looks nice (they finally fixed the drawing with non-standard pointers bug). I decided not to learn the MFC since I like Java better than C++, so I don't really have anything to compare Swing to. There are most likely many people more qualified than I to answer questions about the GUI.

Regards.

Mornelithe

PS: If you want a great Java text editor, go to The jEdit homepage. I'm using it as my default text editor now.

Now I don't know about some of the people here, but in my experience, Java has disproven all of these things. The only reasons I can think of for these people believing all this FUD are:

1) They use Linux which doesn't have a great Java implementation yet. I don't know about this one. I don't use Linux, so I don't know how good Java is there, although I've heard people say it's great, so I doubt this is it.

2) They haven't actually used Java, so they take their oppinions from Java FUD distributers.

3) They tried it out a little, but saw things like no operator overloading or multiple inheritance and said, "This sucks." even though those features aren't really needed, and it simplifies things not to have them.

4) It's proprietary (a big no-no here). Let's trash it with a bunch of other FUD.

Java isn't the end all or be all of computer languages, but it is a great thing. It's more secure than many other languages, and it's just as stable and robust as many of them. It's simpler to use than C/C++, so it's easier to get things done quicker.

What I find ironic, is that the great freedom fighters of Linux and Open Source here (Linux is better and more stable than Windows! Switch for the better!) will so easily reject such a great thing as Java is (even though using it is a change for the better. How hypocritical of you all). The only difference I see between the two, is that you have people going "Linux is the only way. Abandon your evil MS ways or you will be cast into the abyss of OS Hell!" while promoters of Java admit its weaknesses and admit that it's not the best thing there ever was or will be.

By the way, for all you "Java GUI sucks" and "Java will only be used as servlets and on web pages" people, take a gander at This page It's my favorite text editor. That's all I have to say for now. Sorry for rambling on so long.

"I am convinced that only two things are infinite, space, and the stupidity of man, and I'm not sure about the former."

- Albert Einstein

I've got an eMall system. I am working hard to get it to the point where I can hang it up on the Giant Java Tree.
I'm grinding it out in html, servlets, and JSPs. I've already hung a piece of it up on the tree:
webThingy.
It runs on mySQL. To see a wee bit of it look here. This registration servlet is not live and not visible to the world at large; it's my testbed. It will be GPL'd soon.

Dig this: the servlet engine is running last Wednesday's snapshot of Kaffe using Apache mod_jserv 0.9.12 on a Cobalt RaQ. I think it's the only RaQ in the world running java servlets.

TTFN.

I've got an eMall system. I am working hard to get it to the point where I can hang it up on the Giant Java Tree.
I'm grinding it out in html, servlets, and JSPs. I've already hung a piece of it up on the tree:
webThingy.
It runs on mySQL. To see a wee bit of it look here. This registration servlet is not live and not visible to the world at large; it's my testbed. It will be GPL'd soon.

Dig this: the servlet engine is running last Wednesday's snapshot of Kaffe using Apache mod_jserv 0.9.12 on a Cobalt RaQ. I think it's the only RaQ in the world running java servlets.

TTFN.