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From: Robert Dewar <robert_dewar@my-deja.com>
Subject: Re: The revolution will not be standardized
Date: 2000/01/06
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In article <wcc7lho9n4g.fsf@world.std.com>,
  Robert A Duff <bobduff@world.std.com> wrote:
================================================================
>
> I guess the one thing I admire most about Java is its strict
> insistence on portability.  I think that's a Good Thing.  On
> the other hand, in practise, what matters is what
> implementations do, which is not
> something the language designer can control.

It is well known that complete portability can be achieved
with high level languages, the kind that people usually regard
as interpretive languages, e.g. SNOBOL-4. [side note, the work
on SPITBOL shows that it is possible in fact to compile such
languages successfully].

My feeling about Java is that it falls between two desirable
points, and thus is a bit of a failure in this regard.

If you want to take the hit for 100% portability, then do it
properly, and produce a proper high level language (something
with the flavors of SNOBOL4, SETL, APL, PROLOG, ABC, Python).
Don't end up with a low level machine oriented language which
still has 32-bit wrap around integers :-)


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