[ale] {OT} -- For the programmer on the list

[Steve Brown]

On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 4:10 PM, JD <jdp at algoloma.com> wrote:

>
> * Eats RAM (much more that a C++ program would use)
> * Slow during runtime (old link
> http://sprout.stanford.edu/uli/java_cpp.html )
> * Garbage collection runs at the wrong time
> * Extremely slow desktop program startup
> * Ugly GUI controls - opinion
> * Eclipse requires 16GB and a Core i7 to be usable; it is slow on a Core
> i5.
> * Java devs actually believe they don't need to understand the platform
> they are
> running on. I have stories of developers claiming that rewriting a C app
> running
> on Intel CPUs in Java running on a SPARC CPU would result in greater
> performance. Complete BS, except that their C app was total crap to start.
>

I couldn't agree more. To the last point, if their C app was crap from the
start, the Java devs could have had a point. I always think twice though
when someone says rewrite. But I do concede that Java is most definitely
not the first choice for speed. I think this is an ok trade-off, at least
for the past companies I've worked for; hardware is cheap, coder time is
expensive.


> I completely disagree with the desire for one and only one way to
> accomplish
> something - I recognize the great things about strict frameworks just to
> the
> point where they don't let you do something necessary (RAILS is famous for
> this).  Only-one-way works for neophyte programmers, not for experts,
> IMHO.  I
> like Python and Ruby as languages too.
>

My comment about large teams and only one way to do it go hand in hand, and
also with your point about neophyte programmers. When I come into an
organization, there could have been any number of coders with different
skillsets, all of which could have their own ideas about the best way to go
about things. When the language, and also its supporting frameworks,
creates a consistent, structured, and standard way of doing things it
really helps me out. I'm not saying that I prefer when a programming
language limits me, I prefer a programming language that limits some of the
other coders. I'm be curious to see any RoR examples, if you have any
readily available. Again, not a nit-pick or some challenge for debate,
just curious. At the other end the spectrum, there are languages like Perl,
which seems to be a language where APIs and syntax compete and evolve
differently than other languages. There are multiple ways to do things not
only logically, as with any other language,  but also syntactically.

Interface documents have been around for years. I've worked on projects with
> 250+ devs.  We used interface documents and exchanged header files early.
> For
> smaller projects, we'd write code stubs to validate acceptable inputs as
> the
> first coding step.
>

I'm assuming you're talking about C++ here? These types of languages are
not abstracted enough for the type of work I do; they take me too far away
from the actual business problem I work on. I'm a software
developer/engineer, whatever you want to call it, but actual programming is
or should be a small percentage of my time on the job. I have to solve a
business problem, first and foremost. I think this may annoy other people,
more specifically the type of people who would be on this list (sys ops). I
would love to hack it up and spend my time gaining a deeper knowledge of
the app I'm working on and make it perform or look better. My boss will not
think this is time well spent, and unfortunately the buck gets passed to
the ops guy.


> Ada was designed to help large scale government coding projects become more
> efficient. http://rosettacode.org/wiki/99_Bottles_of_Beer#Ada  I don't
> know
> whether it achieved that goal or not. It certainly never became
> commercially
> popular.
>

Ada, actually, looks right up my alley. I'd heard of it before, but never
actually did anything with. I will try it out, if not just because it will
show me a different way to think about programming, which I enjoy in my
spare time. I'd like to hear others personal experience with Ada, if
possible.


> I didn't mean to display so much of my ignorance all at once. Oh well.
>

Not in the least, thanks.

My current position, at a smaller company, is one where I must where many
hats; manager, lead, developer, sys ops (obviously not to the extent as
others here). I do the sys ops stuff for fun in my spare time, I've been on
this list and tinkering with linux for over 8 years now because I enjoy
this kind of thing. Hopefully, and this isn't specifically target at JD,
I've imparted a little bit of the psyche of /why/ Java and next time you're
really pissed at the lame Java coder you'll have a little more
understanding. Don't hate the player, hate the game :) I do think it's a
shame that programming languages don't always compete on merit, and due to
this future uncertainty with Java, I think it's a better time for another
language to get a better foot hold in the type of work I do.

-Steve Brown
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