Quo vadis Java?

Question

I have been a programmer all of my adult life and a software developer ever since I can remember. My language of choice is the IBM OS/390 Assembler and the IBM mainframe is my world. All the things that seem big deals in C/C++/Java I was already doing namelessly in the IBM mainframe world eons ago. Byte code, I was doing 1401 emulations in the early 1970s. Polymorphism, I was writing code that supported not only different operating systems (PCP, MFT, MVS, HASP/JES, etc.) but also different releases of the same. Classes and inheritance, I have been doing SYSLIB autocalls by the Linkage Editor since ever.
It seems that nothing is new in computing. What is new is that the distinction between mini/micro and mainframe computers has blurred.
Ever since the PC came into existence I have peeked. First they were too slow and the Intel instruction set too horrible. Then the look and feel of Windows 3.1 was making me sick. In 1995/96 when PCs became fast enough and Windows95 sufferable, I tried Microsoft MFC but I gave up quickly. All of those files, I could never figure out which chunk of code was *.cpp, *.h, a resource or whatever.
In March of 2000 I picked up HTML and JavaScript. I produced quite a few things that I am very proud of, some even useful but I kind of lost interest along with the DOT.COM debacle.
In May of 2001 I tried semiseriously to pick up Java since I liked JavaScript.
I am now in the process of writing a File Management System for the PC in my spare time. It is clear to me that the mini/macro/Unix/C/C++/C#/Java world is minor league and Mickey-Mousey.
Do Java programmers really write programs of 200 lines at the most and stash them in folders within subfolders of subfolders ad nauseam?
Are Java programmers so feeble minded that cannot handle 10,000+ lines of code at the time? I have a photographic memory and all that shuffling from code file to code file is too disruptive for me.
And do Java programmers really call their variables for example JTextArea ta? Or only in Java books? My programming style is to first build tools for myself to find and cross reference whatever I am interested in. I try not to reinvent the wheel... I let you draw your own conclusions.
How is my Java File Management System doing? I have got almost all the needed ingredients but with lots of loose ends. For my own consumption it is starting to be OK.
I have an excellent files and folders finder also capable of searching for given strings and show the results in different useable formats. JTree Drag-and-Drop for the files. Simple, rich and HTML text editors. The menus, toolbar, and statusbar are in place and so are the routines that provide functionalities.
Why am I complaining then? Because major roadblocks exist. Let me explain...
a) I need a Spell Checker (badly) and I do not have the time to write one myself.
b) I need a Files Compare better than the preliminary one I wrote for now.
c) I need a Cross Reference more sophisticated (keywords, delimiters) than the one I wrote for now.
d) To be able to replace Windows Explorer and the Windows desktop I need:
1) to know how to access and process *.dat files and registry keys
2) to know how to access and process *.lnk files (desktop icons and shortcuts)
3) get more file properties than just the length and the lastModified date
4) get to the file associations (opens with)
5) convert long file names to 8.3 names especially for file names with embedded spaces
6) make "Process process = Runtime.getRuntime().exec(my_cmd)" work all the time
If the above was not enough, I have to get around Java shortcomings:
1) a replace() that does not support "null" so as to delete unwanted characters
2) the horizontal TABs mess (still a problem)
3) the EOL (End of Line) mess (still a problem)
4) the special characters (like inverted quotes) mess (still a problem)
5) line numbers and line wrap mess (still a problem)
6) and finally SPEED, I could never be as fast as native Windows.
The above lists are not comprehensive of everything, just what I could think of as of now.
What do I think of the Java programmers that I have encountered so far?
1) I have asked for a way to get the Date and Time of the Java compilation (like IBM global variables &SYSDATE and &SYSTIME). The answer I got was to use a precompiler! Here for all to see is my solution:
public void showAboutBox() {
File f_ile = new File("Jwb.jar");
if (!(f_ile.isFile())) { f_ile = new File("Jwb.class"); }
//SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat("EEEE, MMMM d, yyyy (MM/dd/yy '-' yyyy.DDD) 'at' hh:mm:ss a");
SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy.DDD");
String info = "JWorkbench - 1.0 � ";
info+= sdf.format(new java.util.Date(f_ile.lastModified()));
info+= "\n\nA desktop file management system.\nWritten by andre nicolai.";
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this, info, "About", JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
where "Jwb." is the code that has main().
2) I have asked for examples for Drag-and-Drop of JTrees. No answers. The "core SWING advanced programming" book has an excellent example alas it did not take into account upper and lower case file names...
For the Linux/Unix people I have a message why bother when 97% of the PCs run on Windows? I want to be a guru for the masses not a geek. Given all the Java limitations, DOS line commands, no *.EXE files, spotty built-in functionalities, need for a JVM, etc... how do we take over from the evil empire that is Microsoft unless we provide more ease of use and functionalities than them?
Comments please.

Answer 1

For one, java can be natively compiled (Excelsior JET, HotSpot, JIT, JOVE). If you want to make a program however that accesses system specific information, of course there will be some problems. They try to use the java VM to control alot of things, such as file names and the way the file system works. And give you ways to format the name of a file so that you can access it without being very specific about how the file system works. It's not a low level language you have to realize. It's very practical for some things currently. You can use it to make many applications with ease. But other things that other languages can do,
Java can't without becoming platform dependant in some way.
The specific project you are working is some what problematic. If you could access the specifications for the Virtual machine and make it behave how you'd like it to for this purpose, then you'd definitely have no problem. But the fact of the matter is you can't. You have to comply to the specifications Sun has set so that you can maintain pure Java.
I'm sorry that many Java programers are ignorant to all of it's features. Java is a fairly new language, and it changes VERY often. Java hasn't yet had a chance for it's main features to become stable or standard yet. There are many parts of it that many people still use that have become depricated within the last few months, or within the last year. Alot of Java programers find it difficult to keep up with Sun. I've leared alot about the newer classes and specifications included with jdk1.4, but I far from know everything about it. And alot of the problems you're confronting frankly aren't common things yet, more people will likely explore these problems in the future, but Java is a completely new battle field. With C++ you have many years of a stable set of librarys and solutions that have been around and stayed reasonably stable for years. You can post something on a message board, and some one is bound to have used it before, or know something about it.
Java changes very often. They are adding new features to it, and improving it, and trying to perfect it even as I type this message. And this is a great thing in my opinnion. If you have a problem with how Java is implemented, and have any solutions for them, or anything you feel would be a useful thing for them to look into, tell them! You can comment on their specifications, make suggestions, many things have been placed open for developers to tell Sun how they should improve and build on Java. They do have the ability to make native operations available to the VM if you really need them.
If you want to look at the real "Mickey-mousey" people, who really don't do any low level programing at all, go look for the UML object orieted designers. Those people who get payed alot more then the programers do for directing and implementing a design of an object oriented program. They probably couldn't answer your questions on how certain operations are done, or how to access windows system registrys. They can get alot of people who allready know these things, and have them write different blocks of the programs using the skills and knowledge they have, and then build an enormously complex program, far more complex then any single programer would be able to understand. Perhaps you can memorize your entire program, and build enormously complex systems for yourself, but object orieted design isn't made for just you. It's created so your code will be re-usable to other people.
You can change part of your coding, and they can implement it exactly the same as before, interface with it exactly the same as long as it meets it's previous implementation. Perhaps you can reuse your own code, but a procedural 10,000 line program is far less reusable then a program that's broken up into blocks where you can change pieces of it, and have it act exactly the same as previously. Packages are definitely the most practical way for Sun to go, as is object oriented programing design, as is the Virtual Machine. If you change your operating system, your computer, your processor, anything, all it takes is one program to make all others run. You only need ONE Virtual Machine, where as otherwise you'd need all programs to be redone, all of their funtionality would be lost. You can also upgrade ALL programs ever written for that VM, by simply upgrading the VM itself. If it uses any new optimizations, or techniques, or new HotSpot native compilation etc.. So will your program. So ALL programs ever written in Java are changed with any change to it's VM.
Perhaps if you're intersted in producing programs only for Windows Client sided programing, then you can deny Java completely. Java can be run on any computing system, on any handheld devices, on anything that has VM. It holds a large share of the market, it's very handy, but in the end it is just a language. It's a solution to some problems. So far, it's not been very friendly to client sided development, or anything that involves graphics. This is just a problem with it's earlier implementations. They've been working on making useful graphics librarys, and GUIs to use with your programs. I've been very impressed with the speed of Swing components in jdk1.4, as well as the additions to Java2D that includes offscreen hardware accelerated graphics. Java is moving it's way into the Client sided programing market, but it's been retarded, mostly because of Microsoft. It's had problems implementing many things because Microsoft keeps such a stronghold on it's operating system, and it's reluctance to include a non proprietary VM with it's system. Windows XP will be included with no VM, which will be a big problem for non-experienced computer users to utilize. Java applications can be run on Linux, and Solaris systems just like any other program. The reason they don't on windows, is because Microsoft doesn't want them to. Perhaps they'll conform in the future, Microsoft is one big problem Java is facing.
-Jason Thomas.