Beyond Java - Bruce Tate [42]
Java Raises the Bar
Each new language is subject to the rules of its time. If you think about new inventions in the world of music, you'll see the same principle in play. Early in the recording industry, a record label would sign an artist to a specified contract, manufacture records, promote them on the radio, and distribute them in stores. You find some of those features today, like many of the roles in the production cycle and the importance of airtime (on radio, and now TV and the Internet). Changes in standards force the industry to retool. Some are relatively minor—changes in record speeds simply forced manufacturers to add capability to record players and recording equipment. Others will almost certainly be more radical. These changes require a critical mass to take hold—CDs achieved a critical mass, but eight-tracks did not. Sometimes, disruptive changes completely redefine the organization and very fiber of an industry. Our kids are redefining the way music is distributed through services like Napster and iTunes. Some artists are distributing their music entirely over the Internet, and they are cutting the publishing industry out of the equation altogether.
New programming languages work in much the same way. Every language leaves behind a legacy. Sometimes, changing languages embrace the legacy. For example, you compiled your C programs into a DLL or an executable. You could take advantage of your C code from C++ by buying a new compiler. You could even use C++ to write procedural code or object-oriented code. C++ changed the way we think, but it did not change much of the machinery. The C programming language was also disruptive in many ways. Java, too, was disruptive, redefining the rules of the game.
Kids like to be able to download songs like "Macarena" instantly, so the old music stores aren't cutting it anymore, and they are closing their doors. Don't even try to open one, unless you plan to bankroll it with your own money. By the same token, we like the convenience of the JVM, the massive open source community, and the focus on the Internet, leaving a higher standard for the next major applications language.
Portability
Remember our technical crown jewels. Java commercially introduced the concept of a virtual machine . It redefined the landscape. You compile Java into intermediate byte code that runs in a virtual machine. We've now gotten a real taste of the advantages of the virtual machine. The next major applications language will almost certainly support a virtual machine. You just can't ignore the benefits:
Security
If you can secure the virtual machine, it's much easier to secure the language.
Portability
The virtual machine provides a common, clean foundation for the language.
Extensibility
If your language turns out to be inadequate, you can always change the byte code. Java extensions like JDO (transparent persistence) and AspectJ use byte code enhancement to extend the Java language effectively.
Interoperability
Lower-level byte code makes it possible for one language to use the same deployment infrastructure, and even run side by side with other languages.
So, the virtual machine is important. I'll go one step stronger. The next commercially successful language should have a version that runs in the JVM. That would help a language overcome many obstacles, both political and technical.
Dion Almaer: Why Java Will Be Hard to Replace
Dion Almaer is the founder and CTO of Adigio, Inc. He is an architect, mentor, pragmatic, and evangelist of technologies such as J2EE, JDO, AOP, and Groovy. He is the former editor-in-chief of TheServerSide.com J2EE Community and is a member of the Java Community Process, where he participates on various expert groups.
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