* Oliver Jones <oliver(a)deeper.co.nz> [2004-06-29 02:10]:
Most JVMs compile to native code, either JIT or ahead-of-time.
Yes I know that the JVM does a certain amount of byte code to native code translation. But this is implementation specific and not guaranteed. It's called a virtual machine for a reason.
What is your point? Lots of languages use some form of VM nowadays, and JIT compilers are slowly sprouting all over the place.
The main reason is so that Java's fortunes are not tied to Suns fortunes.
I don't buy this. Netscape went under -- Navigator did not. I expect something similar to happen, should Sun sink.
Imagine what the Internet would be like now had Netscape not be open sourced. [...] If Firefox didn't exist and wasn't such a great browser MS probably wouldn't be re-investing into IE quite to the degree they are at the moment.
Well, you certainly have a point, but what does that have to do with anything?
This whole "were afraid it would fork" bullshit just doesn't wash with me.
It makes a certain amount of sense as a business decision for Sun (if not for Java).
C & C++ are open standards,
So open that everyone and their dog has their own version.
Perl is open source, Python is open source, Ruby is open source. None of these languages have forked.
Yes, because anyone can get involved. Not everyone would be able to get involved with Sun's Officially Blessed Version Of Java.
Java has already forked even without being open sourced. IBM's implementation vs Sun's.
That's not a fork. That's a reimplementation of the VM etc, but it's not a fork of the language. Anyway. I'm not arguing with you because I particularly like Java -- I feel quite the opposite about it, actually --, but you're not making a very strong point. My own opinion is that Java should be free ( != open source ) because that would be good for the language. There are many companies with vast investments in the technology, so there are clearly forces with a interest in the language's progress. However, that also means Sun would likely quickly find themselves on the sidelines, and they're not known as a company that can let go. They have a history of keeping a pretty tight grip on their brainchildren, occasionally to the point of suffocation. Regards, -- Aristotle "If you can't laugh at yourself, you don't take life seriously enough."