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Java 1.5.0 Now Officially Java 5.0

Posted by timothy on from the these-version-numbers-you-could-leap-to dept.

Quantum Jim writes "In a move which out-does Netscape's one-version number skip and Winamp's two-numbers skip, Sun has announced that the upcoming Java2 release will be marketed as version 5.0, skipping three-and-a-half numbers. Can version 6.022E23 be far behind? Thanks to David Flanagan for the heads-up."

15 of 534 comments (clear)

  1. not even the first time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Sun already jumped 1.2 and called it "2".

  2. Re:Other Famous Version Number Skips by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can think of two:
    Windows 3.1 to Windows 95: 91.9 version numbers skipped
    Windows 98 to Windows 2000: 1902 version numbers skipped

  3. Re:Other Famous Version Number Skips by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    In that vein, Sim City 3000 to 4 dropped back 2996.

  4. they must have Jedi on the payroll by eidechse · · Score: 5, Funny

    "This is the version you're looking for."
    [waves hand Alec Guinness style]

  5. Re:Winamp didn't skip version 4 by Epistax · · Score: 5, Funny

    If it has the features of 3 AND the ability of 2 any boolean logitician will tell you that the version number should be 6.

  6. For non-physics people: by Tar-Palantir · · Score: 5, Informative

    6.022E23 is Avogadro's number, the number of atoms in a mole of an element.

    1. Re:For non-physics people: by fcw · · Score: 5, Funny

      Now also known as Javagadro's number, the number of functions in the standard class libraries.

  7. *sigh* I hate marketing by Croaker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    God, I hate marketing. Why do you have to have yet another number attached to a product? I could never figure what the hell Sun was talking about when they would go off on "Java 2", but then sprinkle in "1.4" or "1.5" when talking about the JDK. or JRE.

    Jesus. Just give me a version number so I can track what it's compatible with, and what features it has. If you're bumping up your version number for a product, bump them for all related ones as well, in the same increment. Don't make me try to figure out what version number of the language is supported by which version number of the developer's kit for god's sake. Is it so damn hard?

    I thought marketing was suppose to create clarity in the minds of the potential customer. Screwing around with numbering schemes isn't the way to do that. I don't care what your internal taxonomies are. Just label the thing, and stick with it.

    I also take it that Sun's marketing/engineering is stealing their "internal" project naming protocols from Apple?

  8. Re:Other Famous Version Number Skips by NitsujTPU · · Score: 5, Funny

    Windows XP = Windows written using the buddy system, on daily builds, where code is thrown away at the end of the day if it isn't complete. The entire design is sitting on flash cards taped to a filing cabinet somewhere in a break room at Microsoft.

  9. Re:Other Famous Version Number Skips by Kourino · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Emacs.

    Some time ago, the developers realized that GNU Emacs would probably never change its major version number (which is 1). So, after some point, instead of "GNU Emacs 1.x.y", they started dropping the 1 (since it was constant information and therefore redundant). So the current release of GNU Emacs is actually 1.21.3, but it's called "GNU Emacs 21.3".

    This actually appears to be what Sun is doing now. They've done it before with Solaris/SunOS ... twice, in fact.

  10. Now it's obvious... by omicronish · · Score: 5, Funny

    that Java is better than C#/.NET: 5.0 > 2.0. I was so confused as to which I should choose. Thanks Sun for helping!

  11. What world do YOU live in? by Mark_MF-WN · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What world do YOU live in? It sounds like a pretty nice place. Where I live, marketing is intended to confuse and bewilder the customer so that they pay for things that they neither want nor need.

  12. Linus makes announcement by Pharmboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    In other news:

    Linus Torvald announced today that the next version of the Linux kernel will be released a "Linux Kernel Version 11". Said Torvald, "Thats one more than Mac's OS, and several more than Microsoft, so people will know its better."

    --
    Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
  13. Re:Strongly Typed Container Classes by therealmoose · · Score: 5, Informative
    Auto(un)boxing is the (de)encapsulated of raw types (int, char) into their wrapper classes (Integer, Character) and back as required. Instead of:
    int i = ((Integer) container.get(indx));
    auto(un)boxing allows you to just type:
    int i = container.get(indx);
    It is quite unrelated to generics.
  14. Re:Winamp didn't skip version 4 by VertigoAce · · Score: 5, Funny

    Winamp v8: twice the features of 3 with the speed and ability of 2. Or none of the features of 3 with four times the speed and ability of 2. Or the speed and ability of 2 cubed.