Re: The Revenge of the Geeks

From: Mladen Gogala <gogala.mladen_at_gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:41:58 +0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <kdmc06$fl$1_at_solani.org>

On Tue, 22 Jan 2013 06:58:45 -0800, Ramon F Herrera wrote:

>> I can fathom how a software like Java could end up in the hands of a
>> company like Oracle...
>>
>> -Ramon

>
> Ed: "Can't fathom"
>
> -RFH
What's so special about Java? Java is just another interpreted programming language. Long before Java, there was something called "Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister" or "Perl", for short. Perl doesn't install any plug-ins into your browser and runs pretty much everywhere:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\mgogala>perl -v

This is perl 5, version 16, subversion 2 (v5.16.2) built for MSWin32-x86- multi-thread

Copyright 1987-2012, Larry Wall

Perl may be copied only under the terms of either the Artistic License or the
GNU General Public License, which may be found in the Perl 5 source kit.

Complete documentation for Perl, including FAQ lists, should be found on this system using "man perl" or "perldoc perl". If you have access to the Internet, point your browser at http://www.perl.org/, the Perl Home Page.

C:\Users\mgogala>

I've heard rumors about the ports of Perl which allegedly also exist for Unix and Linux systems as well as mainframe systems, running zOS. There is also PHP, another perlesque scripting language with the express purpose of web development. In recent years, Python has also become popular. It's a very nice OO language which can be used to develop both client-server applications as well as web interfaces. Literally everything that exists in Java, also exists in those languages. Once upon time, the world was ruled by "COBOL", a popular programming language whose name is an abbreviation for "Completely Obsolete Badly Overused Language". Everybody was doing COBOL. There was COBOL on mainframes, COBOL on VAX/VMS and even COBOL for Unix, largely in the "Microfocus" version. General ledger, payroll and even ERP systems were done in COBOL. Everybody was aware that COBOL is bad, but everybody kept using it. Until Java came about. Java is the new COBOL.

-- 
http://mgogala.byethost5.com

Received on Tue Jan 22 2013 - 16:41:58 CET