[PLUG] Why is java is evil ???? (was "new guy with questions")

[Auke Kok]

alan wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Jun 2006, Bill Ensley wrote:
> 
>> OK, So I was "born" into my programming career using Java, but I have
>> Taken the time to learn a bit of C, C++, ASP, Perl, and Visual Basic
>> (eeewww).
>>
>> I really enjoy programming in Java and it does all that I need,
>> That is to say that I can share code across my desktop apps,
>> My web apps, and my applets.  (Yes I need all three)
>>
>> Is there anyone on this list that can give me a truly unbiased :)
>> Reason why I shouldn't use Java for all of this?
> 
> Not really.
> 
> The main perception of Java as "evil" has been from the non-free license 
> agreement the Sun tools have had.  Other than that, it it works then use 
> it.

this is a bit unfair, and IMHO wrong perception. The biggest disadvantage of 
Java applications is that somehow you always end up with a klunky JRE on your 
system, and that java itself is a byte-compiled system (the language isn't, 
but the implementation is).

This may seem very efficient for modern (fast, large memory) systems but every 
time I see a phone load a java game (for 30 seconds...), I cannot think 
otherwise than that java is not well suited for any embedded application, even 
though the mobile phone industry thinks I prefer to swallow it :)

Most older programmers don't want to see the large layer of obscurity that the 
VM adds in between - and certainly it's going to be tough doing kernel 
programming in Java.

That makes Java the ultimate application programming language: it will never 
be (POV) suitable for anything lowlevel as kernel code. You won't see much 
Java books on a linux kernel hackers' bookshelf :)


Cheers,

Auke