Sunday, Sep 7, 2008
Scott Rosenberg reviews the java program for it's one year anniversary.
Jun 20, 1996 |
By the time the Javavaders applet has loaded into my browser, I've had time to count every one of the alien attackers arrayed against me in this low-resolution "Space Invaders" clone. The game's finally about to begin -- but where am I? As the aliens begin to advance, I panic and hit the keyboard. My spaceship (or gun or whatever it is) appears on screen; now I can play. But the delay between keystroke and response is maddening, and you can't really aim at all. Fifteen seconds later, my screen freezes. That's Java -- time to reboot.
the hype for Java -- "it's cool and hot!" -- is omnipresent. A year ago, at a San Francisco trade show awash in dry-ice smoke and overamplified "Star Wars" music, Sun Microsystems launched the Java juggernaut -- promising that its new cross-platform programming language would change the face of the Web, bring "true interactivity" to Web sites and generally usher in the millennium.
Since then, every major computer company has promised to incorporate Java into their products and systems (although Microsoft's enthusiasm remains notably half-hearted). Fortunes have been won and lost, alliances made and broken. Thousands of Java books have been sold -- and a few have even been read. Career prospects for the Java-savvy have soared.
Still, wander the Web today with your Java-capable browser and it's hard to see what's changed. A quick tour of the state of the Java art reveals a paucity of imagination and innovation. There's little to show from Year One of the Java revolution beyond a few snazzy navigation aids and a little bit of animation. Your reaction may well be a peevish, "My browser went all the way to Java-land and all I got was this stupid scrolling line of type!"
The NYU Stern School's Edgar Ticker uses Java to create a moving banner on your page providing up-to-the-minute reports on new stock offerings. It moves awfully slowly, though, and its little "Stop" button doesn't seem to work. You're supposed to be able to click on any offering's name to get further info, but that feature doesn't seem to be "enabled" yet. At least the ticker doesn't crash my browser.
It's easy to get lost discussing Java's technical genesis. All you really need to know is that Java's a full-fledged programming language that's at home on the Web. As such, it should be able to do just about anything. Right now most of the applets -- the small programs that make stuff happen inside your browser window -- are games, animations or Java programming helpers. But you could someday work with a Java word processor or spreadsheet, use a Java program for your email, or keep a calendar in Java. Sun's HotJava is a Web browser that's written in Java itself.
Java programs are designed to be relatively small, so they don't take forever to get to you over the Net. And Java's architecture means that programmers don't have to write different versions of their code for Windows, Mac and Unix computers; one program fits all. This is cool. And hot.
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