By "generality" I was thinking in part of the very wide support of
Java applets by web browsers.   A single language, Java, can be used
to program both the web client and the server.

Also, class or function libraries for various  interfaces and
foundational archetectures seem to be very important for all the
languages.    Java seems to hold it's own with the rest.

> Perl even allows a platform-independent GUI (through Perl/Tk),
> though I've not tried this.

But Perl/Tk, unlike Java servlets, does not seem to have been accepted
as a de-facto standard on web browsers.

> But personally I'm not convinced there ever will be just one
> language that's "good enough" to know, with disregard for all
others.

I didn't mean to imply that.   Although the statement does beg the
question of how "good", "good enough" need to be.

I can rephrase my initial idea as a question.    If one is starting
out today to learn web and e-commerce programning where does one
start?   Given a blank slate, what language or languages does it make
the most sense to learn first?    Obviously, first some HTML.    I
propose that Java has become or most likely will become a very good
second.   Sort of like, but probably to a lesser degree,  a business
programmer knowing COBOL.

- Cortlandt


"COLE,GLENN (Non-HP-SantaClara,ex2)" <[log in to unmask]> wrote in
message news:39c12c84$1_1@skycache-news.fidnet.com...
> Cortlandt writes:
>
> > I propose for your consideration and feedback that Java makes much
> > more sense today than it did just two year ago.
>
> I'll accept that, based mostly on its relatively rapid maturity.
>
> > One advantage to Java, IMO, over these other languages is it's
> > generality.   It can be used for a number of task including server
> > side programming, client side programming, and general apps.   So
> > instead of having to learn several languages a programmer need
only be
> > proficient in one -- Java.
>
> I'm not entirely convinced that Java has this where others do not.
> Personally, I've become a huge fan of Perl, though I make no claim
> to being an expert Perl programmer (whatever that is).
>
> Perl even allows a platform-independent GUI (through Perl/Tk),
> though I've not tried this.
>
> Interestingly, part of Perl's power is what I heard described
> for Java a couple years ago:  the readily-available modules which
> perform a specific task (like Base64 encoding).
>
> Others find Python best suited for rapid prototyping.  I've not
> spent much time with this, but I know that Bruce Eckel (author
> of Thinking In Java) is a strong proponent of this.  I know also
> that he is not particularly fond of Perl (though I've forgotten
why).
>
> Bottom line:  Some "modern" language -- be it Perl, Python, Java,
>               or ? -- seems imperative for programmer productivity
> today.  But personally I'm not convinced there ever will be just one
> language that's "good enough" to know, with disregard for all
others.
>
> --Glenn
>