Re: Hot Java is here! And it *rocks*

Sarr Blumson (sarr@citi.umich.edu)
Wed, 29 Mar 1995 14:49:48 +0500

In message <199503280207.SAA05391@netcom14.netcom.com>you write:
>If you take a close look at Java, you'll realize that it bears a close
>similarity to Viola, since the "applets" must be coded from a predefined
>language, downloaded and locally interpreted. Of course this is another
>"monolithic" approach (notice that java takes up 10MB of RAM and about 12 of
>disk) that assumes that one can create a single language that all
>applications can be crafted from. API's, (such as the Eolas Weblet(TM)
>technology, http://www.eolas.com) that allow "applets" to be created using
>the most appropriate tools and then embedded in binary form within Web
>pages, are much more flexible and powerful.

I've skimmed your web page but didn't find much clarification, so let
me apologize in advance if I've misinterpreted the last, but...

Others have mentioned the safety issue, but let me put it a little more
strongly. I will NEVER EVER run a browser that depends on (no, is
willing to) executing binaries downloaded from a server, at least on
any currently extant hardware architecture. Nor will I trust a machine
where somebody has.

Having said that, I'm not clear on the point of binaries. They are
more efficient, but often marginally so. In reality they are just a
different predefined language, but one that is defined by the hardware
so that if I own a machine that the server provider didn't have a copy
of I'm out of luck. With Safe-TCL or Python (and maybe even HotJava,
although that depends on Sun to some extent) I have a solution, at
least in principle.

--------
Sarr Blumson sarr@umich.edu
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