So, you prefer to hear all compaaring arguments from sales? I'd rather find them on Slashdot. From my point, the begining of a thread "X vs Z" is insightful, arguing about "why" is interesting and all references and links about the comparison are informative. Of course, there are many trolls and off-topics, like this one. But, there moderators, there is a way to display only what you want. That's why many of use use./
Well, let me try to fix the topic.
The Lindows subnotebook is excelent idea. It improves the competition. Of course someone loves Aqua (I don't). Of course, someone cannot live on short-life batteries (I can). Someone needs wide screens, another one wants to hide his notebook in a small brief case. And the market has already been trying to satisfy all such requests. But now, Linux is on the market and that is great. Both Apple and Microsoft beging experiencing a pressure from it. Ultimately, they will have to either improve their quality further or drop prices or both or go out of their business.
This is an open source implementation of the OASIS XACML standard, written in the Java (TM) programming language.
It doesn't say that the standard is open source. It doesn't say that Java is open source. It says the implementation in Java is open source.
Of course, it doesn't prevent from creating close-source implementations of the same standard. But XACML standard specs by themselves are openly available from OASIS.
Emacs in BIOS? That's the most insightful idea I've heard today!
Seriously, the biggest inconvinience of all BIOS' I saw is inability to extend them. But if BIOS will have Emacs as UI - no problems! Few brackets and you have new wonderful function.
UI of Emacs is not overbloated (compared to GNOME/KDE), but still powerful enough. With a choice depending on available memory, it can be compiled with or without X11.
However, which Emacs? GNU/Emacs is more compact and faster, but Xemacs has a great package management subsystem.
Wait a minute. UI is good, but not everything. Who will be responsible fo hardware? Of course Linux. So, that will be sort of embedded Linux with Emacs as UI. Cool! I want PC with such BIOS!
Most of Emacs code is written on Lisp (Well, Elisp). Most of lispers think that S-expressions are much better than XML-tags. Don't expect good XML support from people who hate XML.
With all my love to Emacs (I use it for both program coding and system administration), I also gave up on Emacs XML-mode. Recently I've tried Eclipse as well as some other (smaller) editors. But all time I come back to Emacs again and again - Emacs environment in general is too attractive, if not addictive. I just edit XML as a regular (plain) text file. Otherwise it complains all time about DTD (the stupid assumption that there cannot be XML file without DTD). Perhaps I should write my own XML mode at some day:)
FAQ: Would the elevator be susceptible to a terrorist attack?
Yes- so is practically everything. An attack on the ribbon is unlikely because of the anchor station's isolation and the relatively small amount of casualties that would result. Its main protection is being so hard to get to, there is no way to sneak up on it. However if everyone has equal access to the benefits of the space elevator, there is substantially less risk.
The anchor is located in the equatorial Pacific 400 miles from any air or shipping lanes. The ribbon would also have restricted airspace around it. The ribbon and anchor would be protected like any other valuable piece of property, in this case probably by the U.S. military.
Hmm... I think it's too idealistic. NASA has to keep in secret even the date of Shuttle lifts. How they are going to protect the system functioning 24/7 in a place surrounded by see?
Any ship with 200 miles missiles can come to 200 miles distance and hit it. They cannot do wider security zone with today's international laws, but if they can (let's say 400 miles then it will be a matter of time to see a ship with 400 miles missiles hitting the target.
I think before such project will be built they have to improve somehow the quality life of international community. USA govt should begin to respect UN. UN should work more actively against potentially aggressive goverments, even against potentially unstable goverments. That may mean a completely different system of international laws than we have now.
So, if the idea to bring the highlift project alive will help to improve the international community - we should do it. Otherwise, it's danger for the current world of aggresive animals.
It has tried to solve a problem similar to what I'd like to see solved on PC or notbooks. Generally speaking, a keyboard layout should be dynamically changed in context of application.
Of course, in many cases the alphabyte part will still be the same. But the navigation shouldn't. And especially so-called "functional keys" must become really functional. No more "F1" - it must be called "Help" if it helps.
Let's not stop on key locations. How about menu displayed on the keyboard rather than on the main screen. I want to make a choice of another graphic filter and I want to see the picture in the full-screen preview.
Of course, such "keyboard" can be used just as another screen too. So, perhaps the new generation of notebooks will be a dual-head notebook without keyboard, but with touchscreens on both foldable screens.
I saw Mr. McNealy speak at JavaOne last year, and as he remarked that Java had now become the most widely used programming language, he put up a slide saying "Java Won!"
Citing McNealy about Java is like citing Gates about.Net. It's not more than just fanatic religious hypnotized singing. Common, bring some serious facts proving that java winning. And make sure that all those C, Perl, Python, PHP programmers will agree with your facts, not with your emotions.
Since 1.4 I am even more eager to find some alernative language (currently stopped on Python). I don't want to have again such broken compatibility between two minor releases of JDK. And my patience has gone after long waiting when Java finally will work fast even on small application (keyword: startup time of JVM) and so do Swing (keyword: wrong event model).
Re:There's an effort to make Java platform-indepen
on
The Faded Sun
·
· Score: 1
Parrot must run on... Mac OS (X and Classic)...
Among its processor architectures will be x86, SPARC, Alpha, IA-64, ARM, and 68x00 (Palms and old Macs).
How does it run on Mac OS X? only on old macs? How about new Macs?
If something doesn't work on all of these, we can't use it in Parrot.
If Parrot doesn't run on PowerPC (especiall on Linux/PPC), we can't use Parrot.
And I thing MacOSX geeks would agree regardinf PowerPC/MacOSX.
Re:I think it's an opportunity for Larry Ellison
on
The Faded Sun
·
· Score: 1
Java is the worst part of Oracle database servers. And Oracle is dropping JDeveloper in a flavor of Eclipse (can't find the link... anyone?).
Sony? Apple? HP!
on
The Faded Sun
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
I don't believe in a merge of Sun with either Sony or Apple.
Sun products are not any *special* improvement of Sony products and vice versa. Sony products usually do not need any servers, but when they do - other cheaper and still good servers around (read: Linux). And of course, who needs any Sony products in the server room?
Apple has already been bound to IBM and Motorlla through PowerPC. Typical Mac applications (graphics) doesn't require big database and internet servers, where Sun is still strong. In fact, typical Mac users are geeks (it was so hard to avoid typing "jerks") and not corporate users. But if otherwise would be - IBM servers are not far away.
Both Sony and Apple has no traditins of picking up failing former giants and digesting their dead meat.
But there is other company, which has very long tradition of squizing the last juice from the dying things: HP. They just bought Compaq who bought DEC. Why do they do that? Because their business model is based on support, specifically on supporting customers with legacy system, who doesn't have (almost) any other choice to get that support of their already dead platforms. But that business model requires new victims every few years.
Besides dying expensive hardware, Sun and HP has another in common: system management. Both have good ideas, both did not implement it well, at least as good as IBM did. So, by combining system management platforms from both, Sun and HP can make them a stronger competitor to IBM on that market segment.
As for Java... Sun will let HP to suck the last possible money from IBM on Java licensing. Of course untill IBM will drop Java finally and move to Python (I would love to see Eclipse for Python!). And I won't be surpised to hear that HP or Sun or merged HP-Sun, will buy Borland together with Together:)
Personally, I can bet that if in coming year we won't hear about upcoming plans of HP-Sun aquisition, then we shall hear about HP planning to acquire SGI. But any speculation about that merge would be a kind of offtopic here.
Why Oracle? What's happened to so-called RedHat Database? RedHat Database was actually PostgreSQL, just renamed for marketing purposes. What's happened to it? Was it dropped by RedHat? Or now RedHat Database is Oracle, just renamed for marketing purpuses? Or should we soon expect Oracle Linux - RedHat Linux just renamed for marketing purposes?
Well, perhaps nebraska is not the best place for internet? I heard on another slashdot thread that from living style prospective nebraska and california are like two different continents, just occasionally sharing the same language and same president. No offence - such things happen in every country.
I thought (in my proposals) about megapolicies like Bay Area, LA, Boston, NYC, Seattle, GTA etc.
By the way, who is living in those appartments? Retired grandmas or students? Again, no offence to any social groups, but some social groups are more ready for Internet than the others. Was it in count by that landlord?
Seriously, if that building is in a good area of a megapolis (in some local mini "silicon valley") they can advertise the feature and meet many applications from students and geeks. Otherwise, I agree, it could be hard even to make people to use it.
So, I can add to my original comment - don't forget to choose the right place.
I have much better idea to propose to landlords of big appartment buidlings:
Make a deal with some good ISP, get a T1 from them to the building, put Linux server there in the building, and sell the connection to your tenants.
Most of modern building have enough of C5 phone cables, so the access media should not be a problem. Otherwise - wireless.
Tenants can have even own web servers. One option: if the landlord rents a class C subnet. Another option: use that Linux router as a frontend (NAT or proxy - your choice).
I hate DHCP of most of DSL and cable providers. And it's hard to find good ISP with static address, high speed and low price. I think it's realistic to calculate the business model in a way to share that T1 for $40 per tenant monthly.
In 1997 I used a pipe-file to store apache logs and some awk and perl based scripts to filter them out and categorize based on predefined mapping of URLs the site served. I am not sure if I can find that code, but if so - would it be a prior art?
Re:In the beginning was the THOUGHT
on
Going Cyberpunk
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I you want an interface to deterministic system (like computer) then you have to train you brain to think more deterministically (like using interactively interpreted programming language).
Voice, GUI are not good for it as they are interfaces designed for pre-existed I/O devices as hands, mouth, ears and eyes.
What would be a real improvement is some virtual-reality navigation interface. However, it won't substitute programmable sctable interface.
But look, if you smart enough then GUI is not enough for you on your today's PC - you run CLI with good shell (at least BASH, using a mix of Perl, Python and Tcl). For example, on GNOME you use nautilus and other GUI stuff for navigation, but you allways create your on scripts, batch files, menu items etc.
The more important question is: what scipting language to use in brain? I think that this time it should not be imperative language. I would prefer something more mathematical, like Haskell. Perhaps I would use Lisp for driver extensions on that chip. And I'd like to keep many of personal database records in Prolog.
For that port you need a port controller (aka SCSI, Firewire, USB or other I/O) and that requires the chip. And you need a smart controller in orer to constantly adapt to constantly adaptable brain.
Your SCSI controller is not too diff from what you had 5 or even 10 years ago. Why? B/c since the beginning it has been designed right.
Same thing here, once the neuro controller will be designed righ, you'll upgrade mostly your gateway software.
P.S. I wonder if the IP address of our brains will be IPv6, when will we need IPv8 ?
it is not sangerious for you. It is dangerious for Intel and other CPU makers. Mostly for Intel, which business model is bound to that law. Once the market will decide it does not need top power of the latest CPU the days of Intel will be over. Unless Intel change the business model.
Re:Is this the first signs of a turnaround?
on
Forget Moore's Law?
·
· Score: 1
All software you've listed works fine on my PII-300. The only thing that doesn't fly is Java. That's the monster which wants all the power of CPU you have and potentially all the memory you have.
Apparently, most of JVMs are installes and work on Windows today. Sun's Java is the most responsible for PC powerening last years. It means Sun created a trouble (in long run) for own Sparc computers. Strange, isn't it?
If your supermarket created a rule stating that you could only purchase 55 gallons of milk per week (sounds like enough for even the largest family to me), wouldn't the simple principle disturb you?
Back in Russia it was very typical. It didn't disturb me as otherwise powerful people would have everything. Well, eachtime, when there was not such limits, powerful people had everything and I didn't.
Isn't that seemingly harmless imposition an anti-capitalistic precedent for future limitations, one of which will eventually penetrate the bounds of your comfort?
You seem to me getting more and more comfortable in this world, arn't you? Bac in 1930x American shared my point and have been patiently staying in line to get a limited amount of bread.
Forget about bad countries and bad times: you have a limit of wour wireless traffic, haven't you?
If you are capable to install FreeBSD than you shouldn't choose RH among Linux distros. RH is for end-users. You should choose Gentoo or similar distro. Then you will have to solve all hardware problems in a way as you do in FreeBSD.
But the result will remain the same (bad for BSD): Linux supports more hardware and does it better.
If you need OS for big SMP machine, shall you choose BSD? No, many even BSD people will advise you to stick to Linux for that. If you need a cluster then you'll get same advise.
And I am not going deep into desktop area where BSD's hardware support is just outdated (Firewire, USB, sound, video are just examples).
Sure BSD can work stable on one CPU running nfsd, httpd and sendmail. But that was the achivement 10 years ago - not today.
As for RH installer support of AIC-789x, again, it's not a problem on other distros and even you can do it on RH: just install the system, boot the liveCD with any Linux distro, mount your root, chroot, rebuild and reinstall your kernel.
The hardware support of Linux and the hardware support of RH installer are two different things.
Why everyone compare Java to Python? Why Many other languages are basically ignored? I wonder if Sun considered Lisp, Scheme, Haskell, OCaml and Mozart.
Lisp has one of the best object-oriented paradigm implementation, Meta-Object Protocol among languages with both scripting and bytecompiling capabilities.
OCaml has all the power as Lips, just in syntax conviniect for many Java/C-poisoned brains to read faster. No wonder there are many real-world applications on it.
Haskell... I just love how it demonstrates that OOP is not everything (and even not enough):)
Sun works for telecom industry - why not consider Erlang?
And don't ignore Mozart - it's multi-paradigm pradigm might be just what we all will thing as the best in 3-5 years.
The list is not complete, of course. And it's inspired by Functional Programming.
My main point here is: each of above languages, would it be in hands of Sun marketed instead of Java (with all that money invested to), would have quality of implementation much better than Java.
In fact, I am impressed how such poorly designed language as Java succeed so far on the market. It wouldn't without so much money behind. And without so many classes written by Sun to compensate the poor design of the core language itself.
Would Sun invest so much efforts and money to FP language then the result would be much better. Because quality is why FP matters.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, let me try to fix the topic.
The Lindows subnotebook is excelent idea. It improves the competition. Of course someone loves Aqua (I don't). Of course, someone cannot live on short-life batteries (I can). Someone needs wide screens, another one wants to hide his notebook in a small brief case. And the market has already been trying to satisfy all such requests. But now, Linux is on the market and that is great. Both Apple and Microsoft beging experiencing a pressure from it. Ultimately, they will have to either improve their quality further or drop prices or both or go out of their business.
This is an open source implementation of the OASIS XACML standard, written in the Java (TM) programming language.
It doesn't say that the standard is open source. It doesn't say that Java is open source. It says the implementation in Java is open source.
Of course, it doesn't prevent from creating close-source implementations of the same standard. But XACML standard specs by themselves are openly available from OASIS.
In good BIOS "B" stands for "Big". That's right. Big Intelligent Operating System.
Seriously, the biggest inconvinience of all BIOS' I saw is inability to extend them. But if BIOS will have Emacs as UI - no problems! Few brackets and you have new wonderful function.
UI of Emacs is not overbloated (compared to GNOME/KDE), but still powerful enough. With a choice depending on available memory, it can be compiled with or without X11.
However, which Emacs? GNU/Emacs is more compact and faster, but Xemacs has a great package management subsystem.
Wait a minute. UI is good, but not everything. Who will be responsible fo hardware? Of course Linux. So, that will be sort of embedded Linux with Emacs as UI. Cool! I want PC with such BIOS!
(comment (complain (format-p (web-site-p `(great-man-p `("Paul Graham")) (width-p (table-p 209)))) (convinient-p (unreadable-p `("VERY NARRAW!!!")))) (additional-facts ((modern-monitor (width-p 1024)) (girls (have-p `("MODERN MONITORS")) (read `("ARTICLES"))) (nerds (want ("GIRLS"))))) (conclusion `("NEVER PUBLISH ARTICLES IN SUCH A NARROW FORMAT! GIRLS CANNOT READ IT!" "UNLESS GIRLS WILL READ IT ON PALM PDA...")))
With all my love to Emacs (I use it for both program coding and system administration), I also gave up on Emacs XML-mode. Recently I've tried Eclipse as well as some other (smaller) editors. But all time I come back to Emacs again and again - Emacs environment in general is too attractive, if not addictive. I just edit XML as a regular (plain) text file. Otherwise it complains all time about DTD (the stupid assumption that there cannot be XML file without DTD). Perhaps I should write my own XML mode at some day :)
By the way, HTML mode in Emacs is just perfect.
FAQ: Would the elevator be susceptible to a terrorist attack?
Yes- so is practically everything. An attack on the ribbon is unlikely because of the anchor station's isolation and the relatively small amount of casualties that would result. Its main protection is being so hard to get to, there is no way to sneak up on it. However if everyone has equal access to the benefits of the space elevator, there is substantially less risk.
The anchor is located in the equatorial Pacific 400 miles from any air or shipping lanes. The ribbon would also have restricted airspace around it. The ribbon and anchor would be protected like any other valuable piece of property, in this case probably by the U.S. military.
Hmm... I think it's too idealistic. NASA has to keep in secret even the date of Shuttle lifts. How they are going to protect the system functioning 24/7 in a place surrounded by see?
Any ship with 200 miles missiles can come to 200 miles distance and hit it. They cannot do wider security zone with today's international laws, but if they can (let's say 400 miles then it will be a matter of time to see a ship with 400 miles missiles hitting the target.
I think before such project will be built they have to improve somehow the quality life of international community. USA govt should begin to respect UN. UN should work more actively against potentially aggressive goverments, even against potentially unstable goverments. That may mean a completely different system of international laws than we have now.
So, if the idea to bring the highlift project alive will help to improve the international community - we should do it. Otherwise, it's danger for the current world of aggresive animals.
It has tried to solve a problem similar to what I'd like to see solved on PC or notbooks. Generally speaking, a keyboard layout should be dynamically changed in context of application.
Of course, in many cases the alphabyte part will still be the same. But the navigation shouldn't. And especially so-called "functional keys" must become really functional. No more "F1" - it must be called "Help" if it helps.
Let's not stop on key locations. How about menu displayed on the keyboard rather than on the main screen. I want to make a choice of another graphic filter and I want to see the picture in the full-screen preview.
Of course, such "keyboard" can be used just as another screen too. So, perhaps the new generation of notebooks will be a dual-head notebook without keyboard, but with touchscreens on both foldable screens.
Does anyone know where to buy it?
Citing McNealy about Java is like citing Gates about .Net. It's not more than just fanatic religious hypnotized singing. Common, bring some serious facts proving that java winning. And make sure that all those C, Perl, Python, PHP programmers will agree with your facts, not with your emotions.
Since 1.4 I am even more eager to find some alernative language (currently stopped on Python). I don't want to have again such broken compatibility between two minor releases of JDK. And my patience has gone after long waiting when Java finally will work fast even on small application (keyword: startup time of JVM) and so do Swing (keyword: wrong event model).
Among its processor architectures will be x86, SPARC, Alpha, IA-64, ARM, and 68x00 (Palms and old Macs).
How does it run on Mac OS X? only on old macs? How about new Macs?
If something doesn't work on all of these, we can't use it in Parrot.
If Parrot doesn't run on PowerPC (especiall on Linux/PPC), we can't use Parrot.
And I thing MacOSX geeks would agree regardinf PowerPC/MacOSX.
Java is the worst part of Oracle database servers. And Oracle is dropping JDeveloper in a flavor of Eclipse (can't find the link... anyone?).
Sun products are not any *special* improvement of Sony products and vice versa. Sony products usually do not need any servers, but when they do - other cheaper and still good servers around (read: Linux). And of course, who needs any Sony products in the server room?
Apple has already been bound to IBM and Motorlla through PowerPC. Typical Mac applications (graphics) doesn't require big database and internet servers, where Sun is still strong. In fact, typical Mac users are geeks (it was so hard to avoid typing "jerks") and not corporate users. But if otherwise would be - IBM servers are not far away.
Both Sony and Apple has no traditins of picking up failing former giants and digesting their dead meat.
But there is other company, which has very long tradition of squizing the last juice from the dying things: HP. They just bought Compaq who bought DEC. Why do they do that? Because their business model is based on support, specifically on supporting customers with legacy system, who doesn't have (almost) any other choice to get that support of their already dead platforms. But that business model requires new victims every few years.
Besides dying expensive hardware, Sun and HP has another in common: system management. Both have good ideas, both did not implement it well, at least as good as IBM did. So, by combining system management platforms from both, Sun and HP can make them a stronger competitor to IBM on that market segment.
As for Java... Sun will let HP to suck the last possible money from IBM on Java licensing. Of course untill IBM will drop Java finally and move to Python (I would love to see Eclipse for Python!). And I won't be surpised to hear that HP or Sun or merged HP-Sun, will buy Borland together with Together :)
Personally, I can bet that if in coming year we won't hear about upcoming plans of HP-Sun aquisition, then we shall hear about HP planning to acquire SGI. But any speculation about that merge would be a kind of offtopic here.
Many questions, no answers.
I thought (in my proposals) about megapolicies like Bay Area, LA, Boston, NYC, Seattle, GTA etc.
By the way, who is living in those appartments? Retired grandmas or students? Again, no offence to any social groups, but some social groups are more ready for Internet than the others. Was it in count by that landlord?
Seriously, if that building is in a good area of a megapolis (in some local mini "silicon valley") they can advertise the feature and meet many applications from students and geeks. Otherwise, I agree, it could be hard even to make people to use it.
So, I can add to my original comment - don't forget to choose the right place.
I have much better idea to propose to landlords of big appartment buidlings:
Make a deal with some good ISP, get a T1 from them to the building, put Linux server there in the building, and sell the connection to your tenants.
Most of modern building have enough of C5 phone cables, so the access media should not be a problem. Otherwise - wireless.
Tenants can have even own web servers. One option: if the landlord rents a class C subnet. Another option: use that Linux router as a frontend (NAT or proxy - your choice).
I hate DHCP of most of DSL and cable providers. And it's hard to find good ISP with static address, high speed and low price. I think it's realistic to calculate the business model in a way to share that T1 for $40 per tenant monthly.
In 1997 I used a pipe-file to store apache logs and some awk and perl based scripts to filter them out and categorize based on predefined mapping of URLs the site served. I am not sure if I can find that code, but if so - would it be a prior art?
Voice, GUI are not good for it as they are interfaces designed for pre-existed I/O devices as hands, mouth, ears and eyes.
What would be a real improvement is some virtual-reality navigation interface. However, it won't substitute programmable sctable interface.
But look, if you smart enough then GUI is not enough for you on your today's PC - you run CLI with good shell (at least BASH, using a mix of Perl, Python and Tcl). For example, on GNOME you use nautilus and other GUI stuff for navigation, but you allways create your on scripts, batch files, menu items etc.
The more important question is: what scipting language to use in brain? I think that this time it should not be imperative language. I would prefer something more mathematical, like Haskell. Perhaps I would use Lisp for driver extensions on that chip. And I'd like to keep many of personal database records in Prolog.
Your SCSI controller is not too diff from what you had 5 or even 10 years ago. Why? B/c since the beginning it has been designed right.
Same thing here, once the neuro controller will be designed righ, you'll upgrade mostly your gateway software.
P.S. I wonder if the IP address of our brains will be IPv6, when will we need IPv8 ?
it is not sangerious for you. It is dangerious for Intel and other CPU makers. Mostly for Intel, which business model is bound to that law. Once the market will decide it does not need top power of the latest CPU the days of Intel will be over. Unless Intel change the business model.
Apparently, most of JVMs are installes and work on Windows today. Sun's Java is the most responsible for PC powerening last years. It means Sun created a trouble (in long run) for own Sparc computers. Strange, isn't it?
My television provider gives me 50 analog channels (basic plan). But I am not sure how is it related to ISP bandwith management.
Back in Russia it was very typical. It didn't disturb me as otherwise powerful people would have everything. Well, eachtime, when there was not such limits, powerful people had everything and I didn't.
Isn't that seemingly harmless imposition an anti-capitalistic precedent for future limitations, one of which will eventually penetrate the bounds of your comfort?
You seem to me getting more and more comfortable in this world, arn't you? Bac in 1930x American shared my point and have been patiently staying in line to get a limited amount of bread.
Forget about bad countries and bad times: you have a limit of wour wireless traffic, haven't you?
But the result will remain the same (bad for BSD): Linux supports more hardware and does it better.
If you need OS for big SMP machine, shall you choose BSD? No, many even BSD people will advise you to stick to Linux for that. If you need a cluster then you'll get same advise.
And I am not going deep into desktop area where BSD's hardware support is just outdated (Firewire, USB, sound, video are just examples).
Sure BSD can work stable on one CPU running nfsd, httpd and sendmail. But that was the achivement 10 years ago - not today.
As for RH installer support of AIC-789x, again, it's not a problem on other distros and even you can do it on RH: just install the system, boot the liveCD with any Linux distro, mount your root, chroot, rebuild and reinstall your kernel.
The hardware support of Linux and the hardware support of RH installer are two different things.
Lisp has one of the best object-oriented paradigm implementation, Meta-Object Protocol among languages with both scripting and bytecompiling capabilities.
Scheme has been proved as a good language for GUI and configuration: GIMP, Sawfish, TeXmacs.
OCaml has all the power as Lips, just in syntax conviniect for many Java/C-poisoned brains to read faster. No wonder there are many real-world applications on it.
Haskell... I just love how it demonstrates that OOP is not everything (and even not enough) :)
Sun works for telecom industry - why not consider Erlang?
And don't ignore Mozart - it's multi-paradigm pradigm might be just what we all will thing as the best in 3-5 years.
The list is not complete, of course. And it's inspired by Functional Programming.
My main point here is: each of above languages, would it be in hands of Sun marketed instead of Java (with all that money invested to), would have quality of implementation much better than Java.
In fact, I am impressed how such poorly designed language as Java succeed so far on the market. It wouldn't without so much money behind. And without so many classes written by Sun to compensate the poor design of the core language itself.
Would Sun invest so much efforts and money to FP language then the result would be much better. Because quality is why FP matters.