[geeks] Java, language abuse, WWW apps

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Mon, 3 May 2004, Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:

> Have you noticed that non-WWW Internet application projects and
> development has all but stopped?
>
> Someone has written "internet == WWW" into the collective mindset and
> its stuck there.

Maybe for most folks.  I still know what sockets are.  I don't
understand why anyone would want to tunnel ANYTHING over HTTP, though.
It's so...dirty; great for its intended purpose, but just Not Good for
anything else.  BXXP is sort-of neat, but awfully chatty.

> What's funny is that this is not a new idea.  Think about an IBM 3270
> terminal with a mainframe application.  Send a form, form gets sent
> back with data.  The WWW browser is a fancy and overcomplicated page
> oriented terminal.

Yep.  That shocked me about the mainframe world.  But it works great for
batch-processing applications.  It's just not terrifically good for
interactive work--which is where all the WWW stuff is going.

> Why do we have to learn all those lessons all over again?

Because people don't read their computer history books, I guess.

-- 
Jonathan Patschke  ) "Being on the Internet is not the same as being
Elgin, TX         (   famous.  That's like calling Cheetos 'dinner'."
USA                )                                    --Metal Steve