🚀 go-pugleaf

Richard Pitts wrote:
> 
> >Since I can never get into Sun's Java site, perhaps someone could clarify what
> >Java is.. I have heard the following:
> 
> Don't dump VB.  Most of what you listed is true of Java except
> for creating EXE's.  It doesn't now, and probably never will.

Don't bet on that I have already heard 4 compiler vendors talk of native code Java compilers.
 
> Java is for internet programming - completely hardware
> independent.  All you need on the client side is a Java virtual
> machine (expect to see most internet browsers to include this
> support in the future).

Java was initialy developed for embedded systems and a real-time Java standard is already available. 
 
> Microsoft is responding to this with VB Script.  An internet
> programming subset of VB.

Not really, VB script provides a framework for dowloading and executing scripts. It is not solely for 
Internet applications any application could utilise the VBSript engine and many vendors could compile 
their script language down to a VBScript compatible form (and Java is one that Microsoft claim will 
become available).
 
> Problems with both Java and VB Script: limited functionality of
> all types including limited database and file access; security
> concerns (i.e. executable code downloaded directly into memory
> and executed - virus check that!), performance over the net, etc,
> etc.

Java has a novel approach to security which is hard to denounce.
 
> If you need to do internet programming, wait for VB script and
> leverage your VB knowledge there.  Java is just like C++ so
> expect a steeper learning curve.

The Java learning curve is much easier than C++, no pointers, garbage collection, thread-safe 
primitives.
 
> If you aren't doing internet programming, stick with VB!

Or think about getting a good book on Java and reading in your spare time.
    Java!
    Tim Ritchey
    New Riders (Indianapolis, Indiana)
    1-781562-055332
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