9.519 the rush of java

Humanist (mccarty@phoenix.Princeton.EDU)
Mon, 5 Feb 1996 21:48:38 -0500 (EST)

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 9, No. 519.
Center for Electronic Texts in the Humanities (Princeton/Rutgers)
Information at http://www.princeton.edu/~mccarty/humanist/

[1] From: Andrew Armour <armour@pncl.co.uk> (15)
Subject: Re: 9.507 Java and society

[2] From: John Slatin <jslatin@mail.utexas.edu> (20)
Subject: Re: 9.511 Java

[3] From: EditorAnn@aol.com (2)
Subject: Re: 9.511 Java

[4] From: Willard McCarty <mccarty@phoenix.princeton.edu> (30)
Subject: The Web is Dead, long live ...

[5] From: Willard McCarty <mccarty@phoenix.princeton.edu> (180)
Subject: JavaWorld

--[1]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 04 Feb 1996 01:20:38 +0000
From: Andrew Armour <armour@pncl.co.uk>
Subject: Re: 9.507 Java and society

At 06:59 PM 1/31/96 -0500, C. M. Sperberg-McQueen wrote:
>Java will also make it much easier for small niche software products to
>be developed and distributed. That should be of some interest to those
>of us in academic life, since we do so much of our work in such niches.

I don't deny that Java sounds promising but I am hesitant about investing
any t&e into exploring its potential. The main reason is Blackbird -- now
known as Microsoft's Internet Studio. As a recent .net article put it, "the
bottom line is that you can do 99.9 per cent of what you want with Studio
alone and never have to learn Java which is serious command line
programming." [spatient@futurenet.co.uk] Visual Basic is all that's needed
apparently.

While it's true that MS has licensed Java, that sort of "backing" doesn't
necessarily mean much (or we'd all have display Postscript by now). Java may
be cold before most folks even get a taste.

Andrew Armour
Keio University

--[2]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Feb 1996 16:31:53 -0600
From: John Slatin <jslatin@mail.utexas.edu>
Subject: Re: 9.511 Java

Responding to my response to his query about Java and social control,
Willard McCarty asks:

> ... Has computer software reached the state at which we
>can read detailed traces of humanity in it? I have often been tempted to
>write an essay entitled "The theology of wordprocessing", somewhat along the
>lines of Umberto Eco's essay on the theology of computing platforms, taking
>into account the religion of the designers....
>
Of course it has: TACT and WordCruncher make all sorts of assumptions about
the nature of reading and scholarship, for example, and they have arguments
to make about the computer's role in these processes-- arguments I've
always assumed to be encapsulated in what I take to be the non-accidental
(indeed admonitory) way in which the *name* of one program responds to to
the name of the other...

John
Professor John M. Slatin
Director, Computer Writing & Research Lab
Div. of Rhetoric and Composition and Dept. of English
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX 78712
jslatin@mail.utexas.edu http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu

--[3]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 17:20:25 -0500
From: EditorAnn@aol.com
Subject: Re: 9.511 Java

WRITE THAT ESSAY. You must, you must. And any further dissection of the
assumptions about humans in all this technology would be most welcome. New
thread?

[Editorial explanation: I threatened to write an essay entitled "The
Theology of Wordprocessing". Apparently my threat struck a chord.
Everyone can relax, however -- too many prior commitments. --WM]

--[4]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 21:22:54 -0500
From: Willard McCarty <mccarty@phoenix.princeton.edu>
Subject: The Web is Dead, long live ...

The following came to me with an emoticonized wink. As for "dead
information" I am reminded of what Northrop Frye said once -- "There is no
such thing as dead literature, only dead readers."

WM

>From: "John D. Bradley" <john.bradley@utoronto.ca>
>>
>Of interest. I don't know if 12 months is the right interval. ;-) ... john
>
>DEAD INFORMATION ON THE WEB
>Futurist Paul Saffo predicts the transformation of the Web in the next 12
>months: "The Web as we know it today is dead. It's dead in two ways:
>because it's going to mutate into something else very quickly and be
>unrecognizable within 12 months, and secondly, it's dead because all it's
>got on it is dead information... Sure, there are links, but the links just
>lead to more dead information. It's a big information mausoleum. But with
>things like Java, you get animation. The information is alive... Today, if
>you think about it, it's really quite bizarre. You dial into a Web page.
>There may be a thousand other people at that page. But the only way that
>you even know anyone else is there is that the server is slow. The next big
>change is going to be finding ways to put qualities that we associate with
>MUDs today into Web pages so that you can interact with people." (Upside
>Feb 96 p26)
>

--[5]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Feb 1996 21:18:07 -0500
From: Willard McCarty <mccarty@phoenix.princeton.edu>
Subject: JavaWorld

>Date: Fri, 2 Feb 1996 21:04:05 -0800
>From: michael@trillian.advanced.com (Michael O'Connell)
>To: online-news@marketplace.com
>Subject: IDG's latest Web-only magazine announced: JavaWorld
>
>Below is the press announcement regarding a new Web-based magazine
>covering the Java computer language and related technologies.
>
>For an HTML version of this press release along with a related news
>article, see
>
>http://rwanda.sunworld.com:80/sunworldonline/swol-02-1996/swol-02-javaworld
..html
>
>Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. I welcome
>input and suggestions.
>
>Regards,
>
>Michael
>
>Michael O'Connell Web Publishing Inc./IDG
>Editor-in-Chief 501 Second St, Fourth Floor
>JavaWorld magazine - www.javaworld.com San Francisco, CA 94107
>An IDG Communications publication voice (415) 267-1710
>michael.oconnell@javaworld.com fax (415) 267-1732
>
>For Immediate Release
>
>For more information, contact:
>
>Chris McAndrews
>IDG
>(415) 676-3026
>chris_mcandrews@idg.com
>
>
>IDG TO LAUNCH JAVAWORLD ON WORLD WIDE WEB
>
>Electronic Magazine Dedicated To Java Developers And Enthusiasts
>
>
>Boston, MA (February 2, 1996) -- International Data Group (IDG), the
>world's leading computer publishing, research, and exposition company,
>announced today that it will launch JavaWorld Magazine on the World Wide
>Web on February 15. The electronic publication, or "webzine," will be
>linked from the Java home page at the Internet address
>
>http://java.sun.com
>
>and will also be accessible directly at
>
>http://www.javaworld.com.
>
>Java(tm) is an object-oriented programming language developed by Sun
>Microsystems, Inc., with features especially suitable for
>cross-platform, distributed computing via the World Wide Web. Java is
>widely considered one of the hottest new products in the exploding Web
>development market. Microsoft, among others, has licensed Java as part
>of its emerging Internet strategy.
>
>JavaWorld will be one of the first commercial publications, and the
>first such to be published only in Web form, to serve the rapidly
>growing Java community. The independent publication will feature
>hands-on tutorials for both novice and advanced Java programmers,
>profiles of businesses that use Java for key applications, and coverage
>of Java-related news and events. JavaWorld also will focus on the
>business-related information needs of the Java community.
>
>"Since we're a Web-based magazine, we'll be able to include in JavaWorld
>plenty of code samples and demo applets to clearly illustrate
>programming tips and techniques," said editor Michael O'Connell. "For
>example, in our first issue, noted Java guru Arthur van Hoff will
>demonstrate how to do animation with Java, using live Java code that
>allows the reader to see, in real time, how changes in code affect the
>movement of the animated characters."
>
>JavaWorld will be linked from Sun's Java Web home page. The site
>attracts an average of 1.5 million hits per day, making it one of the
>most active sites on the Internet. In addition, JavaWorld will be
>syndicated in the Web and commercial online service sites of IDG sister
>publication PC World
>
>http://www.pcworld.com
>
>"We are very excited that IDG has chosen to launch JavaWorld," said Kim
>Polese, Director of Marketing for Sun's JavaSoft unit. "With the
>tremendous developer interest and business interest in how to make the
>most effective use of the Web, there is a clear need for comprehensive
>Java-related information. And with JavaWorld, IDG has underscored this
>interest by choosing the Web as their sole distribution vehicle,
>ensuring that the Java community will get the most value out of this
>information."
>
>"Java is revolutionizing network computing," said Eric Schmidt, chief
>technology officer, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "JavaWorld is a terrific
>opportunity to respond to the tremendous demand for information about
>how to make the most of the Java opportunity."
>
>IDG Chairman Pat McGovern noted that the growth of the Internet
>represents a considerable opportunity for the technical and corporate
>executives responsible for their enterprises' communications and
>computing infrastructures. "These individuals need objective, timely,
>and highly useful information to help them chart their organizations'
>Internet paths. IDG is committed to providing that information, and
>JavaWorld is an important part of our effort."
>
>This is IDG's second Web-only periodical: SunWorld Online was launched
>in July, 1995 and likewise has no print equivalent. SunWorld's
>independent editorial serves the information needs of the Sun user
>community. Both JavaWorld and SunWorld Online are published by IDG
>business unit Web Publishing Inc., headed by President and Publisher
>Michael E. McCarthy.
>
>For more information on JavaWorld, contact Michael O'Connell
>(editorial) at 415-267-1710 or michael.oconnell@javaworld.com, or
>Colette McMullen (advertising), at 415-267-4527 or
>colette.mcmullen@javaworld.com.
>
>Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, International Data Group has
>annual revenues of more than $1.4 billion and is ranked by Advertising
>Age as the world's largest media company in the computer category and
>25th largest overall. IDG's publishing subsidiary, IDG Communications,
>publishes more than 270 newspapers and magazines in over 75 countries.
>IDG's trade book division, IDG Books Worldwide, is the fastest growing
>computer book publisher with more than 300 titles and foreign
>translations in 28 languages. IDG's research subsidiary, International
>Data Corporation (IDC), is the leading market research and analysis firm
>covering the computer field. IDG's exposition management subsidiaries
>run over 64 computer-related expositions and conferences in 22
>countries.
>
>JavaSoft, headquartered in Palo Alto, is an operating company of Sun
>Microsystems Inc. The company's mission is to develop, market and
>support the Java technology and products based on it. Java supports
>networked applications and enables developers to write applications once
>that will run on any machine. JavaSoft develops applications, tools and
>systems platforms to further enhance Java as the programming standard
>for complex networks such as the Internet and corporate intranets.
>
>With annual revenues of $6 billion, Sun Microsystems, Inc. provides
>solutions that enable customers to build and maintain open network
>computing environments. As a proponent of open standards, the company
>is involved in the design, manufacture, and sale of products,
>technologies and services for commercial and technical computing.
>Founded in 1982, Sun is headquartered in Mountain View, California and
>employs more than 14,000 people worldwide.
>
>Sun and Java are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
>"World" is a trademark of IDG Communications Inc. Java is used as part
>of JavaWorld, and Sun as part of SunWorld, with permission.
>