[Year 12 Its] Re: Naming Conventions

[Con Zymaris]

On Thu, May 12, 2005 at 09:12:23AM +1000, robertw wrote:
> 
> <SNIP> 
> 
> I agree, though I think Sun's original concern with Microsoft adapting it 
> to the "features" of Windows in such way that it *only* worked in that 
> environment.  I think its main advantage as a "portable" language is the 
> consistency maintained in the structure of the syntax, if you learn the 
> most important principles of OOP they will stick by you in whatever 
> direction you want explore it. 

Not to mention that you can write applications once and run them on 
multiple platforms/devices.

> 
> The desire for speed is the reason for particular compilations.  To the end 
> user it does not matter, and the developer does nmind as long as they have 
> a choice, and it works in a way that the big chunks of the source code are 
> transferable. 

You will find that Java, once JITed, can be quite fast. It is a memory pig 
however.

One thing to note is that in the Linux space, many Java applicatins, for 
example Eclipse, are compiled into native binary form for speed and launch 
optimisation purposes. The GCC-based GCJ compiler achieves this aim well.

> 
> One of my main gripes with pre VB.Net versions, ie VB6 and before was the 
> feeling it gave you of different parts of it were designed by different 
> committees and just bolted on as soon as it "worked".  Java has similar 
> areas as well, but was more flexible in over-riding what you did not like, 
> or even having choices along side each other, eg how you deal with dates or 
> time. 
> 
> I am would like to think that VB.Net has allowed this discontinuous feeling 
> about the VB style to be overcome.  Has VB.Net delivered? 
> 
> RobW 
> 
> >As Java was designed for "portable" applications (i.e. the Web's
> >viewability on multiple platforms), to me it makes sense for it to
> >branch into mobiles.  To be honest, I thought the idea of Java as a
> >general application development environment went totally against the
> >principle of Java - if you have to compile it for a platform then it
> >loses its purpose as a portable language. 

Java was nowhere near the first to try this seriously.

The UCSD Pascal system did essentially everything that Java later 
purported to do, but back in 1979: portable language, platform neutral 
runtime, threaded bytecode optimised interpreter etc.

In fact, most of Python, Perl and related languages do much the same 
thing.

Java is only unique in Sun's dreams.

Cheers,
 
Con Zymaris, Convenor
Open Source Victoria
http://www.osv.org.au/


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