[rescue] Sun memo regarding Java

[Dave McGuire]

On Monday, February 10, 2003, at 05:54 PM, Sheldon T. Hall wrote:
> Java suckage isn't limited to Solaris, I'm sorry to say, but Solaris 
> does
> seem to bring out some of Java's worst qualities.

   Oddly I've seen quite the opposite, but I'm running it on very ballsy 
machines and I don't try to do foolish things like build a web server 
with it.  Web-based apps, sure...but moving the packets around needs to 
be plain old native code, no matter what.  Anything else is inviting a 
performance disaster.

   With every advantage (platform independence, even for GUI 
applications) there is a cost (performance).  In case anyone's 
forgetting, most Java implementations involve a virtual machine...just 
like running something like VirtualPC on a Mac, the Java machine is 
emulated in software.  Of course it's going to be slower than native 
code.  Like, duh.

> For extra amusement, try running Sun's "HotJava" web browser on an 
> older,
> slower SPARCstation.  It takes so long to load that you lose interest 
> in the
> whole thing, and viewing actual web pages with it is agonizing.

   I don't think anyone ever actually indended people to use the HotJava 
browser for anything but a technological curiosity.

   And if they did, they're...well, insane.

          -Dave

--
Dave McGuire             "I've grown hair again, just
St. Petersburg, FL           for the occasion."       -Doc Shipley