Steve Jobs Comments on Apple's Java Discontinuation

[macsmurf]

I came to Objective C, from C, Pascal, Algol68 and a lot of assembler.
I find it very readable. Especially the parameter passing.

I never could get a handle on C++, which always seemed to be a language designed to conceal the purpose of the code.

C.

I don't know Algol68. I'm not particularly impressed with C++ which IMHO suffers from the same superset problem as Obj C. Parameter passing is not a bad feature and does improve readability but other languages have similar features (such as Ruby). Although I applaud incorporating closures I don't see Apple using them to build libraries of higher-order functions.

I'm not saying Java is so much better although they did get a lot of things right and I do find it much more readable. I'm rather impressed with Scala at the moment. The JVM is a nice ecosystem for interesting languages which is another reason I'm sad to see it go.

 

[krischik]

Oh I dearly hope so. What a mess that program is!

Don't get your hopes up. Amazon wants you to use Kindle anyway. They already stopped all software development on the Mobipocket-Reader and I am surprised that Stanza still exist.

Mind you: Any Kindle user to check which language Kindle for Mac OS X is written in.

I'm rather impressed with Scala at the moment. The JVM is a nice ecosystem for interesting languages which is another reason I'm sad to see it go.

Me too. But you need a JVM or a CLR to run Scala. The Java language critics often miss that there are alternatives which are better then Java. And you loose those alternative as well if you loose the Java-SE environment.

And this is what it is all about: Not “Java The Language” but "Java-SE the Framework”.

M.

 

[macsmurf]

Me too. But you need a JVM or a CLR to run Scala. The Java language critics often miss that there are alternatives which are better then Java. And you loose those alternative as well if you loose the Java-SE environment.

And this is what it is all about: Not “Java The Language” but "Java-SE the Framework”.

The CLR version of Scala isn't maintained or up to date AFAIK. In order to use Scala you need the JVM.

I, and many others (probably you as well), feel that one of the ways you grow as a developer is to muck about with different languages. Among IT and CS students Java is a very important language and many students also like to look at other languages - some of which are also on the JVM. These future developers will now move to Windows or Linux if no proper alternative is found.

I realize that developers as a group might have an inflated sense of their own importance but I really think Apple are shooting themselves in the foot here.

 

[NevilleDNZ]

Algol68 for MacOSX

I came to Objective C, from C, Pascal, Algol68 and a lot of assembler.
C.

FYI Algol68 for Mac can be downloaded from:

• algol68g-1.9.2 for Mac on PPC
• algol68g-1.18.0 for Mac OSX on Intel

There is also algol68g-2.0.1, but this has not been ported to MacOSX:

Algol 68 Genie, an efficient open source Algol 68 hybrid compiler-interpreter that can be used for executing Algol 68 programs or scripts.

Basically to port the most recent interpreter portion requires a rebuild... AND packaging (I don't know how to build a binary package for MacOSX). Furthermore the translator/compiler portion needs some nice person with MacOSX expertise enough to dynamically link in compiled C objects into a running program (as per the Linux implementation)

BTW: There are some ALGOL 68 code specimen links here on RosettaCode. ALGOL 68 is not object oriented. To me it appears as a missing link between C and python.

Enjoy
NevilleDNZ

 

[NevilleDNZ]

FYI Algol68 for Mac can be downloaded from:

• algol68g-1.9.2 for Mac on PPC
• algol68g-1.18.0 for Mac OSX on Intel

Basically to port the most recent interpreter portion requires a rebuild... AND packaging (I don't know how to build a binary package for MacOSX). Furthermore the translator/compiler portion needs some nice person with MacOSX expertise enough to dynamically link in compiled C objects into a running program (as per the Linux implementation)

Marcel - together with a Mac guru friend - have ported algol68g-2.0.2 (WITH dynamic compiling and linking) to MacOSX.

• algol68g-2.0.2 source for for Mac on PPC

You install a68g by building it the same way as on Linux (./configure -O2 --threads; make etcetera)

BTW: you can write "scripts" in Algol68, eg:

$ head ./script_args.a68
#!/usr/local/bin/a68g -script #
print("args:");
FOR i TO argc DO print(" """+argv(i)+"""") OD;
print(new line)

$ ./script_args.a68 -a -A -b1 -B1 -- X YY zzz ...
args: "/usr/local/bin/a68g" "-script" "./script_args.a68" "-a" "-A" "-b1" "-B1" "--" "X" "YY" "zzz" "..."

Algol68g supports PARallel scripting with the PAR clause (via POSIX threads).
The classic example is the parallel-clause which synchronizes eating and speaking:

PROC VOID eat, speak;
SEMA mouth = LEVEL 1;
PAR BEGIN

DO

DOWN mouth;
eat;
UP mouth​

OD,
DO

DOWN mouth;
speak;
UP mouth​

OD​

END

Enjoy
NevilleDNZ

 

[John.B]

Oracle and Apple announce OpenJDK for Java on Mac OS X

Oracle and Apple announce OpenJDK for Java on Mac OS X

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/11/12/oracle_and_apple_announce_openjdk_for_java_on_mac_os_x.html

To everyone who said I was full of crap when I said this was in the works, "I TOLD YOU SO!"

Oracle and Apple announce OpenJDK for Java on Mac OS X

Oracle and Apple on Friday announced a new partnership that will bring the Java SE 7 and future versions of Java for Mac OS X to users directly from Oracle.

With the OpenJDK project for Mac OS X, Apple will contribute most of the key components, tools and technology required for a Java SE 7 implementation on Mac OS X, including a 32-bit and 64-bit HotSpot-based Java virtual machine, class libraries, a networking stack and the foundation for a new graphical client. OpenJDK will make Apple's Java technology available to open source developers so they can access and contribute to the effort.

"We are excited to welcome Apple as a significant contributor in the growing OpenJDK community," said Hasan Rizvi, Oracle’s senior vice president of Development. "The availability of Java on Mac OS X plays a key role in the cross-platform promise of the Java platform. The Java developer community can rest assured that the leading edge Java environment will continue to be available on Mac OS X in the future. Combined with last month’s announcement of IBM joining the OpenJDK, the project now has the backing of three of the biggest names in software."

Apple also said that Java SE 6 will continue to be available from Apple for Mac OS X Snow Leopard and the upcoming release of Mac OS X Lion. Java SE 7 and future versions of Java for Mac OS X will be available from Oracle.

"We’re delighted to be working with Oracle to insure that there continues to be a great version of Java on the Mac," said Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. "The best way for our users to always have the most up-to-date and secure version of Java will be to get it directly from Oracle."

Java is a general purpose software development platform that is specifically designed to be open and enable application developers to "write once, run anywhere." The Java platform is most widely used in business software, Web and mobile applications.

In October, Apple announced it would deprecate Java for Mac OS X, meaning the company would no longer issue its own updates for Java. Apple's note said that the Java runtime could be removed altogether from future versions of Mac OS X.

An e-mail claimed to be from Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that his company decided it would no longer develop their own Java for Mac because their updates were always a version behind the official releases from Oracle and Sun. Jobs allegedly said that the current method "may not be the best way to do it." [ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

MacRumors: Apple and Oracle Announce Plans for OpenJDK Java Implementation

https://www.macrumors.com/2010/11/1...nounce-plans-for-openjdk-java-implementation/

Apple and Oracle Announce Plans for OpenJDK Java Implementation

Apple and Oracle today announced a partnership to bring Oracle's OpenJDK project, and thus a Java SE 7 implementation, to Mac OS X.

Oracle and Apple today announced the OpenJDK project for Mac OS X. Apple will contribute most of the key components, tools and technology required for a Java SE 7 implementation on Mac OS X, including a 32-bit and 64-bit HotSpot-based Java virtual machine, class libraries, a networking stack and the foundation for a new graphical client. OpenJDK will make Apple's Java technology available to open source developers so they can access and contribute to the effort.

Apple also noted that it will continue to support the current Java SE 6 on Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Lion.

"We are excited to welcome Apple as a significant contributor in the growing OpenJDK community," said Hasan Rizvi, Oracle's senior vice president of Development. "The availability of Java on Mac OS X plays a key role in the cross-platform promise of the Java platform. The Java developer community can rest assured that the leading edge Java environment will continue to be available on Mac OS X in the future. Combined with last month's announcement of IBM joining the OpenJDK, the project now has the backing of three of the biggest names in software."

Apple made waves last month with the revelation that is planning to deprecate its own line of custom-ported Java packages, sparking fears of a complete discontinuation of support for the platform. In an email response to a customer's question, Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly noted that Apple's Java version was always a step behind the latest version from Sun/Oracle and that the status quo "may not be the best way to do it."

Article Link: Apple and Oracle Announce Plans for OpenJDK Java Implementation

 

[parapup]

Better news and not exactly the worst outcome but some choice words still do not inspire 100% confidence -

E.g. Apple will contribute most of the key components, tools and technology required for a Java SE 7 implementation on Mac OS X, including a 32-bit and 64-bit HotSpot-based Java virtual machine, class libraries, a networking stack and the foundation for a new graphical client

Then they seem to be leaving the Mac JVM development to Open Source developers, although Oracle will be distributing 7.0 JVM for Mac - that doesn't sound all too coherent.

But at least they are giving it a chance so that's good news.