[gameprogrammer] Re: What do I need to download develop a client/server java applet?

It's funny.  But I think it's a pretty short-sighted motto.  Java's not
that bad.

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It's not that bad compared to VB. Kidding, I was exagerating of course.
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It's much easier to get decent Java programs than it is to get decent
C++ programs, because, in my experience, decent C++ programmers are rare
while decent Java programmers are less rare.  C++ is undoubtedly a
harder language, and so it's less likely that your average programmer's
going to be good at it.

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Of course, that's the problemo IMHO. Rather than making good programmers,
Colleges and Universities nowadays teaches weak languages with weak
techniques. Java itself is not the problem. Those "weakness" indeed are not,
because _it_was_designed_that_way_ to accomplish many goals --portability,
lightweight, Internet capabilities, security--, so the OAK project guys
decided to remove some essential features in order to achieve such goals.

My point is simple. A weak programming language ("weak" understood as
explained above) make weak programmers. Personally, I really don't like
Java, because its features are unvaluable compared to the lack of C++
features. I admire some things of Java, like its security (you know, that
"throws" keyword or try/catch/finally block; or the synchronization among
methods), but programming strong programs can be a headache, specially if
you try to introduce modern techniques.
**********

Both Java and C++ have strengths and weaknesses.  OK, you're not going
to use Java in an embedded app, or when you need to interface at a
hardware level, or probably for hardcore numeric work.  But I wouldn't
start hacking up a prototype GUI app in C++.

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Yet the weakness of Java are not present in C++, which is a shame,
considering that Java is a modern language.
**********

You can say what you like about the quality of Swing or JavaBeans or
whatever, but they're standard with the language, so it's far more
likely that people know how they work.

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Yet you are restricted and cannot use the full OS capabilities and they are
slow.
**********

Ever tried to get a job as a C++
GUI programmer?

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Indeed, and I've never had a problemo.
**********

'I know MFC, Qt, wxWidgets, Gnome, KDE, Motif and Tk.'
'Oh, that's a shame, we're using gtk+.  Seeya.'

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As I said, it makes programmers stronger. It's really a shame that Java
programmers don't know what happens between the JVM level and OS level.
**********

The other thing I like about Java is that because it's a more simple
language, style is more consistent.  If I start on someone else's C++
project, it takes a week to work out how they're doing things.
**********
Naaaaa!!! It's the same on Java. C++ also has its conventions, and it is up
to you if you decide to follow them. Also happens with Java. In all the Java
projects I've participated, I used hungarian notation, so what?
**********

Design patterns are all very well, but they're not very clear in C++
**********
I wouldn't see a problem in, for example, singleton classes in C++...
Furthermore, you can have, say, a SingletonHolder template class that can be
employed with different policies and with every "client". Policies is
something that you cannot have, since it involves generic programming and
Java does not support generic programming (and don't say that Java does
generic programming through that 'object' thing since this is not true).
Most design patters were made thinking in C++, and even it they weren't,
they can be easily ported to C++. Viceversa is impossible (try to create a
template parameter list...).
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naming conventions vary, division of responsibility varies.
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Same as Java. This is a project management issue, not a language issue.
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  Whereas there are
less options in Java, so it's easier to start writing code in someone
else's project.
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The problemo is that those "less options" truly are needed for implementing
powerful and modern applications with less coding.
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I know it's cool to hate Java, but all I'm saying is don't dismiss it
simply for that reason.

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Indeed it is not cool, rather it is a shame. Java lost the opportunity to
become the most powerful, modern and complete programming environment. 10
years later C++ is the most used OOP language (according to the OMG's
statistics). C# on the other hand will probably bury Java. Simpler than
Java, yet almost as powerful as C++, with a modern platform, it won't take
more than three or four years to end with Java's life. Pity.
**********

Dave.
-- 
  Dave Slutzkin
  Melbourne, Australia
  daveslutzkin@xxxxxxxxxxx

Still, you know what Java is good for? Smartphone games. I've created a
couple of games for my cell phone, it was really funny and easy to do.

Regards,
Fernando Gomez.
Tlalnepantla, Mexico.





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