Say NO to .Net (We need Java 3.0)
Continuing the Zealot Ranting, I believe that Sun needs to get off their ass, realize the danger posed by MS and fight FUD with FUD. They need to ANNOUNCE Java 3.0 right NOW. This second. They need to take a look at the DotNot page, copy the improvements on Java wholesale and announce that these are coming "soon". This will stem the tide a bit from developers thinking that Java is yesterday's news and give pause to PHBs around the world who are reading MS bought glossy magazine articles about the benefits of .Net.
Sun needs to start with Rusty's 10 fixes and then join up with IBM and endorse the SWT and some of their other initiatives. Screw the freakin' community process and get it done yesterday. Screw backwards compatibility and make the changes permanent. You need to move up to Java 3.0 the way Microsoft is moving everyone up to .Net. Then everyone will have to take a step back and decide, we've got to make an effort, which platform do we want to support. The obvious answer will be Java.
Microsoft is trying to "suck the oxygen supply" out of Java development just like they've done with all their other competitors. DotNot is a classic example of their stall and copy strategy they've used since DOS 1.0. Sun needs to fight this by pure marketing. And just like Microsoft is rallying its troops, the Java guys need to be just as motivated. It's a fucking holy war for your mind, the developer. Do you want to spend your days thinking like the Borg having to use their toolsets or do you want to be free? It's that clear of a choice.
Programming in Java means that you can develop on MS and publish on other OSes. It also means that when the time comes, you can move wholesale over to another OS without any thought. Mac or Linux or whatever. When Microsoft adds yet another DRM module to their OS, or demands another extortion payment for their software (i.e. subscription licensing), by programming in Java you'll be able to move away from that OS without any problems.
Say NO to .Net.
-Russ