21 Sep
1998
21 Sep
'98
2:43 a.m.
Someone wrote:
> Java is the closest thing we've got today to
an architecture-neutral
> executable environment.
Except for the fact that it pretty much requires that IEEE floating point be
used. Yes, Virginia, there are lots of machines out there that don't
do IEEE math! And there are many good reasons to *not* use IEEE floating
point.
William Donzelli pointed out:
C is well established, Java is not.
True, but C itself if far from portable. The endless maze of #ifdef's
that are necessary to make a piece of source code portable among a limited
set of machines and OS's are fine and dandy unless you have to support all
those different permutations!
People keep worrying about what the
different companies will do to extend or change Java. When Java gets to be
a truely standard, then I might say OK.
Part of the problem is that folks are already using Java in ways that
are not portable. It's almost as bad as those web pages that come up
and *insist* that you change your graphics mode to 640x480 or
some other particular size - why do folks insist on starting with a
nice general information-based document standard and then turn it into
a nonportable one???!!! At least, in my experience, any page that
insists on being viewed at some particular resolution inevitably has
absolutely zero information content, so I don't want to view it anyway.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology Voice: 301-767-5917
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