Does this look like nonportable Java to anyone

<Robert> wrote in message news:398ddac5$1@news.dev-archive.com...
>
> Why would anyone be so stupid to think this is good?

Have you actually read the specification and the NGWS SDK docs?

BTW, portability is not the only issue. The way the .NET framework will make
it very easy for programmers to use their favorite language without extra
interoperability hassle, is a very important thing in some cases.

There are similarities with Java, but Java has large similarities with C++,
and if you're going to modify C++ to make it "simpler" and more appropriate
for the programs made today (or at least where the money for programs made
today are, i.e. customised apps/components for corporations), I think it's
not a that big thing that the results also have some things in common.

..NET will be THE way to program for the Windows platform, at least. Native
code compilation will be troublesome when you don't know if your users will
have x86 or IA-64 or x86-64 (if AMD is successfull with that move), or
something else - so native code recompiling at run or install time is IMHO,
from several points of view, the best solution.

/Carl

> Why would anyone be so stupid to think this is good?

I think you should seriously read the technical specifications
before making such a sweeping generalised statement. Pray
enlighten us what exactly did you find nonporable?! As far as
the IL language spec is concerned there is nothing there that
makes it nonportable. Sure you have to write one JIT per plat-
form and you have to have the EE (execution engine). But the
very same things are there in Java also. You need to have the
JRE written per platform and you need to have the interpreter
written per platform. Its the same thing deary except that Java
kills performance by insisting on byte code and interpretation
instead of making a JIT like thing mandatory as in .NET. Now
that JIT need not be stellar. It can be pretty simple but still
native code it is and that is a *lot* more faster than interpr-
eted code. Also .NET optionally allows direct native code for
trusted apps. There are also three kinds of JIT with varying
tradeoffs. So if speed is what you want then you can get it.
OTOH if you want portability then stick to IL and for a middle
ground move to OptIL. These are all user options instead of
things being imposed by a language or environment. Moreover the
IL has some nice stuff like it being generic and you can do
some cool generic a'la templates stuff with its instruction
set since it is not size bound for some things.
Don't be a Java fanatic and think that no one can come up
with something better than Java. Do read the tech specs for
both the langs and then compare them objectively based on
their merit. Don't just be an MS basher or an ABMer just for
the heck of it. I did read the specs and from what I have seen
it does seem to be a good thing. Now the only thing to be seen
is if MS can persuade ppl to implement the platform specific
things of .NET for other platforms. They would have a good
thing going if they can manage that. That may not be so easy
considering that so many people like you just plain distrust MS
to come up with something good.
Thanks,
Shiv

P.S. All the technical details are given in docs in
\NGWSSDK\Tool Developers Guide\Docs\
from the NGWS SDK that MS has released to MSDN subscribers.
You'll find lotsa interesting stuff in there.