Trouble Ahead for Java

Jeremy Geelan writes "The editor-in-chief of the world's largest journal devoted to Java wonders whether, with the arrival of Microsoft's C# programming language on the scene, Java perhaps has only 5 years or so left to live. Javaland has erupted! This is a little like Bill Gates wondering out loud whether to send Scott McNealy a Christmas card. But is Alan Williamson right? Read this short article and decide for yourself."

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Printable Version

[The Slashdolt]

All pages on one page here

Not a beta, -1 wrong

[Smallest]

VS.Net has been released for months now. In fact I have a copy sitting on my desk right now. C# is included, as is VB.Net and VC.Net.

You can get a copy of the source to a CLI implementation which also includes a C# compiler that can run on XP and FreeBSD, here.

From the link:

The Shared Source CLI goes beyond the printed specification of the ECMA standards, providing a working implementation for CLI developers to explore and understand. It will be of interest to academics and researchers wishing to teach and explore modern programming language concepts, and to .NET developers interested in how the technology works.

Features
The Shared Source CLI archive contains the following technologies in source code form:

An implementation of the runtime for the Common Language Infrastructure (ECMA-335) that builds and runs on Windows XP and FreeBSD Compilers that work with the Shared Source CLI for C# (ECMA-334) and JScript

Development tools for working with the Shared Source CLI such as assembler/disassemblers (ilasm, ildasm), a debugger (cordbg), metadata introspection (metainfo), and other utilities

The Platform Adaptation Layer (PAL) used to port the Shared Source CLI from Windows XP to FreeBSD

Build environment tools (nmake, build, and others) Documentation for the implementation

Test suites used to verify the implementation

What can I do with the Shared Source CLI?
There is a wealth of programming language technology in the Shared Source CLI. It is likely to be of interest to a wide audience, including: Developers interested in the internal workings of the .NET Framework can explore this implementation of the CLI to see how garbage collection works, JIT compilation and verification is handled, security protocols implemented, and the organization of frameworks and virtual object systems.

Teachers and researchers doing work with advanced compiler technology. Research projects into language extensions, JIT optimizations, and modern garbage collection all have a basis in the Shared Source CLI. Modern compiler courses can be based on the C# or JScript languages implemented on the CLI.

People developing their own CLI implementations will find the Shared Source CLI an indispensable guide and adjunct to the ECMA standards.

-c

I'm beginning to think...

[glassware]

that Microsoft has discovered the key to getting good press on Slashdot. What if some of the unusual articles that have appeared recently are coming (whether directly or indirectly) from Microsoft PR?

By Way Of Example: This article, the strangely prophesied Unix Isn't Dead, and this booster for the next version of Windows.

Although I might be paranoid to wonder about this, it would be a pretty impressive use of grassroots resources. It seems like what they're doing is writing articles that cast doubt on the official Microsoft position. These articles naturally become (in a free spirited discussion site) a thread with some people defending MS and some people attacking it, which provides an excellent position for posting Microsoft's stronger arguments which then reach open-minded developers.

Anyways, it's an amusing thought. :)