Does an Open Java Really Matter?

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.

Comments

Re:Java never mattered

[Anonymous Coward]

What do you expect from someone that still uses perl?

Re:Java never mattered

[gbjbaanb]

Everyone knows Java is in heavy use in various industries

particularly Publishing and eCommerce :-)

Re:Java never mattered

[Rary]

"Since Java itself never mattered except to sell books, I still don't see why opening it matters."

He must be referring to Amazon's use of Java.

never mattered

[Sloppy]

"Slow JVMs. More syntax than C. Lame." -- CmdrTaco

Re:Java never mattered

[Laser Lou]

Java isn't just for selling books. Look at how many Java libraries are around.

Re:W(h)ither Programming Languages?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pearl. All the other terms are correctly spelled?

Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch

[Anonymous Coward]

No Multiple Inheritance. Slower than a 486. Lame.

Re:"Java never mattered"?

[jez9999]

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?

[Reverend528]

It certainly seems to be a fairly easy introduction to OOP.

much like how tequila shots are a good introduction to drinking?

Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch

[snoyberg]

Maybe if you rewrote Slashdot in Java...

... then Slashdot could finally get slashdotted?

** ducks **

Re:Multiple Inheritance

[Anonymous Coward]

I think Multiple Inheritance's primary use is for contriving strange interview questions. :)

Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch

[snoyberg]

Ya, i read it on slashdot.

Re:Java never mattered

[idontgno]

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!

[snoyberg]

Holy crap, you're right! I haven't seen that trick pulled since here.

Re:Java never really mattered, Taco? Ouch

[mollymoo]

Plus, Java sucks.
GUI is slow, and the only way to get the code to run reasonably fast is to compile it, which kind of misses the point.

1999 called, they want their trolls back.