[63] in java-interest
Re: Guile with Java-related features
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David Harrison)
Mon May 8 14:22:23 1995
From: "David Harrison" <david@byrd.ba.msi.com>
Date: Mon, 8 May 1995 10:44:01 -0700
To: java-interest@java.Eng.Sun.COM
Why your focus on C? I don't think C is a very good programming language.
It is nothing more than a convenient assembly level programming tool.
I think the Java team is right in developing a clean object oriented
language for writing applets. OO is the natural mode of programming for
the visual tasks associated with web browsers.
I also share their concern about safety. Running programs that are
downloaded through the net has the potential for nefarious programmers
to cause unbelievable havoc. Lots of thought should be expended up
front to impose reasonable bounds on such programs. I think this
is the key design element of such infrastructure. The Java team
has expended substantial effort in this area. Your note seems to
imply that safety is not a critical concern.
What really worries me is incompatible infrastructure. We all lose
if lots of incompatible interpreters, languages, and browsers appear on the
net. The big win comes when an application programmer can write
a neat applet and know that almost every browser can run it. I think
there is lots of opportunity for people to write better VM interpreters,
language compilers and front ends (even free ones). But we should all
strive to implement *exactly* the same VM model (that means no subsets
or extensions).
The idea that Java/HotJava is bringing to the table is an extremely
powerful one. There is a chance that this kind of infrastructure
could be revolutionary to the way we deliver software to end-users.
What we don't need are VM wars. I generally like the Java VM and
language specs. Why don't we all run with it for a while?
--
David Harrison, MSI
(david@ba.msi.com)
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