[thelist] Applets

Colin Strasser colin at u2i.com
Thu Dec 7 11:36:29 CST 2000


Phil's suggestion seems like the best idea for eye candy --
assuming that you already know Director.  If you don't, I'd argue
that Java is a more practical skill to learn for a well-rounded
Web developer.

I also want to address some of the claims others have made (or
implied) about Java:

1.  "Java is easier to learn if you're already a C programmer."
When it comes to understanding any programming language, from
JavaScript to VB to CFML, it certainly helps to be a programmer.
But I think it's just as easy -- perhaps easier -- for a good
JavaScript programmer, say, to pick up Java as it is for a good C
programmer.  The basic syntax is very similar and JavaScript has
the advantage of being at least partly object-oriented.

2.  "It's easier to start with JavaScript than Java."  If you're
not already programming in any language, you may find an
interpreted language like JavaScript easier to experiment with, as
the only tools you need are a text editor and a browser.  Java,
like most high-level languages, requires an extra step called
"compiling" before you can run your programs.

That said, it has been my experience with beginners that the thing
they find hardest about compiling their code is downloading and
installing the compiler.  You can get Sun's compiler for Java from
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/.  (Sun calls their compiler the Java
2 Platform, Standard Edition, which I grant you is not the most
pithy or intuitive name.)

3.  "The only useful front-end Java application is chat."  Leaving
aside that the original message was all about a front-end
application that the poster wants to duplicate, the most useful
Java applets I ever saw are the financial tools at
http://www.smartmoney.com/.  Their Map of the Market is among the
best market visualizations ever invented.

4.  "Java is slow."  It's true that if you watch your CPU usage
while clicking on some of the SmartMoney applets, for instance,
you'll see it rise to 100%.  But it also does that every time you
load a Web page into your browser.  On my P150 laptop, I am
noticing no significant slow-down even as a SmartMoney applet is
running in one of my windows.

On the server side, the Java Virtual Machine is no slower than any
interpreter, such as ColdFusion and ASP -- in fact, it can be
quite a bit faster.  That's one reason why most commercial
application servers, such as IBM WebSphere, BEA WebLogic and
SilverStream, are built on top of it.

Microsoft has been spreading some of this FUD for years, and they
have done their best with recent versions of IE to hinder Java's
ubiquity.  Yet now they're releasing .NET -- which is essentially
their own version of Java, complete with a C-based object-oriented
language and a virtual machine.

OK, I'll come down from the soap box.  Now, if anyone needs any
Java development done ...   ;)

Best regards,

Colin Strasser
Managing Principal

Union Square Interactive
Strategic and Technical Consulting
v: 212.316.7616
f: 435.305.3030
http://www.u2i.com/





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