JDK V1.01 and HotJava Alpha 3

[KMays@msn.com (Kenneth Mays)]

Greetings,

Well, do we fight about Java over C++ or Ada95 or Java?
The latest tools from Sun, JDK V1.01 and HotJava Alpha 3, are the 
baseline products to use for your Java development. I saw some books 
on JAVA programming, New Rider's and the teaching Yourself Java in 21 
days, but I hear complaints from the Java board that most of the 
books are crap (well almost). You do get a CD with Java tools 
(HotJava and JDK) in some books. But, its better to pull off the 
latest tools from Sun (java.sun.com) to learn about Java (and all the 
buggy little issues you have to deal with).

About Borland C++ V5.0:  Borland's compiler V5.0 needs work in the 
Java development part (you will see an update). I heard that Symantec 
Cafe is the best buy for right now. 

Fighting about Java and Ada95 is like fighting over apples and 
oranges. They were both design for their own reasons. They both have 
advantages and disadvantages. Visual BASIC and C++ falls under these 
same rules, I would program up a simple GUI in C++ or QBasic. I 
wouldn't write an entire graphics library in Visual BASIC.

I like Ada95 since it reminds me of why I liked COBOL over RPG II. I 
have heard MANY claims that you can easily look at your Ada code (or 
someone elses) and figure out the concept of the program. By 
experience you can do that with any language if you are a true master 
of that language, but I am not talking about true mastery. I think 
this is what sprouted structured programming and OOP, you want a 
language that is easy for humans to read and maintain - not the 
machine!

I can't honestly stand behind Java, only because I'd want to fight 
from using JDK V1.01 ad HotJava from a few months of experience with 
it on large scale professional (or client/server) products. I don't 
see commercial games like WarCraft II written in Java. I don't hear 
NASA bragging about using Java in their Space Shuttle mission. But I 
did hear about NASA using Thomson's Ada compiler (become a popular 
Ada95 compiler) with its latest developments.

I think this is an issue that SigAda could fight from the ground 
running (on if Ada95 whips Java's butt). but like I said, its apples 
and oranges.

If you truely think Java is better than Ada95 (the books I read only 
fight the Java vs. C++ issues) I would REALLY like to hear them from 
a carefully researched standpoint.

-Ken

"Its not only what you say that counts, its what you do."