Re: LYNX-DEV Re: Setting up a fund for specific development?

[David Woolley]

> 
> Look, we are ALL going to be learning Java within a year
> or two -- that is, if we want to stay employed.

More likely there will be a new fashion language by then.

> It truly is a VASTLY better language than C++, or C,
> what with its garbage collection (totally automatic),
> strong typing, classes, pseudo multiple-inheritance "almost"
> but "good enough" and FAR simpler, "beans" for plug-in
> software, (for super-simiple add-ons), etc.

Most of these features have been around for decades (Algol 68, Pascal,
Modula, Ada, etc.).  Probably the reason that C became popular was because
you could be naughty with it - certainly every serious Pascal program I've
seen makes illegal use of variant records to get round type restrictions.
One of the less commercial reasons why Microsoft are probably breaking 
away from Java is that the security model is too restrictive for most
commercial developers.

Actually the general life history of languages is that they start by obeying
certain pure principles, but gradually get compromised to be more and more 
like every other language.