[3573] in java-interest
Java outside the web.
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Matt Greenwood)
Thu Nov 16 12:52:06 1995
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 1995 10:16:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Matt Greenwood <matt@shire.math.columbia.edu>
To: Michael Lorton <mlorton@eshop.com>
Cc: java-interest@java.Eng.Sun.COM
In-Reply-To: <199511160045.QAA23169@eshop.com>
Hi Michael, et al.,
On Wed, 15 Nov 1995, Michael Lorton wrote:
> > (3) Does anybody think that Java might be useful outside the Web
> > world? Is it still advisable to use Java if I am not programmi ng for
> > Web?
>
> I think so, but I cannot prove it.
>
I think the answer here is that it depends on what your goal is.
I have been programming and teaching C++ for a while and one of the biggest
problems about C++ is that while it is rather easy to learn. It is rather
hard to program effectively. By this, I mean that to use C++ really well,
you have to be a *very* careful programmer.
I have noticed *many* courses on "An introduction to OO programming (in
C++)" which either spend a lot of time on OOP glossing over the harder
parts of C++ (VTABs etc) or spend a lot of time on C++ glossing over
effective design of OO applications.
This is where (IMHO) Java comes in. After programming for the past few
months in Java, I have found that it lets you get *very* far in *real*
programming *without* having to worry to much (for example about memory
management). Furthermore, its syntax is very like C/++. This makes Java
an *excellent* candidate for a bridge between C and C++. I think it could
be the perfect language for an introduction to OO techniques, allowing for
the versatility of programming network and graphical applications with
the ease of use that is rarely found elsewhere.
For example, try programming an X-editor in C/++. This could be a real
goal for a one semester course on intro to OO techniques in Java for
beginners, but would be well-nigh impossible if the course were taught in
C++.
Just my two cents,
Matt.
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