Lambda the Ultimate

inactiveTopic Sun to change Java language
started 6/17/2001; 7:12:57 PM - last post 6/18/2001; 11:01:22 AM
Chris Rathman - Sun to change Java language  blueArrow
6/17/2001; 7:12:57 PM (reads: 1536, responses: 2)
Sun to change Java language
The ZDNet news article is worth the read just for the quote from Gosling: "[Generics are]...the geekiest language feature around". If the article is to be believed, Sun is shooting for JDK1.4 to implement Generics and Assertions. Prior reports had Sun holding off till 1.5 which is not scheduled for another two years.

One thought that keeps crossing my mind is that Sun has put the JVM under lock and thrown away the key. The libraries change constantly, the language has strap-ons every once-in-a-while, but the VM and Byte-Codes have not really been touched in some 5 or 6 years. Makes for a stark contrast in the comparison of the freedom that MS has shown in their efforts with CLR.

May be a good thing, but putting a freeze on the underlying VM limits the things that can be done in programming languages targetted to that machine.
Posted to OOP by Chris Rathman on 6/17/01; 7:19:43 PM

Adewale Oshineye - Re: Sun to change Java language  blueArrow
6/18/2001; 7:18:31 AM (reads: 641, responses: 0)
I rather think Sun have done the right thing here. By locking down the language they can keep it as simple as possible and avoid breaking existing code. Unless something is really broken it makes more sense to keep the complexity optional by adding it through the libraries. That way only those people who care about a feature (like reflection) need to learn it. After all there comes a point when a language has had so many additions that it becomes almost impossible for anyone to completely master.

Ehud Lamm - Re: Sun to change Java language  blueArrow
6/18/2001; 11:01:22 AM (reads: 639, responses: 0)
Generics can be done at the programing language level, and be compiled to different types of tragets (think Ada or Eiffel). Don't see a reason the change the VM constantly. That's a totally different issue than changing the language itself (we discussed language changes vs. library additions when discussing the future of C++)