Re: Flash 4.0 vs. Java?

> My question is, has Flash now surpassed Java?

SURPASSED? No. Not now, nor will it ever. Java is a general-purpose
programming language with an expressive power equivalent to that of a Turing
machine, so surpassing it is not possible.

Has Flash reached equal footing with Java? No. Possibly with some limited
aspects of Java. What kind of programming facilities does Flash 4 offer (I
can't see for myself; I don't have the beastie and I'm not going to download
something I'll never use)? Are there statements to perform selection and
repetition?

> Is there any reason to use
> Java, now that Flash has developed decision making and event handling
> capabilities?

Yes. Always.

>A vector-based way of creating "smart" animations and
> movies? Now that a Flash calculator can download in a fraction of the
> time of an equivalent Java applet?

First of all, don't lose sight of the fact that Java is not limited to the
Web (Flash intends to create dazzling web sites; Java is a general-purpose
language with which you can ALSO make componenets for use on the Web). Also
don't forget there is more to programming (even on the Web) than animations
and simple calculators. So Flash will never be an alternative to the full
range of possibilities covered by Java.

Whatever features were added to Flash, Flash is still not meant to compete
with Java. So I do not think it will ever displace Java, for the same reason
soccer balls will never replace busses as a means of mass transport: both
busses and balls can roll, but balls are just not meant as transport
vehicles.

> Everyone complains about how slow Java is. I despise it myself. I have
> to grit my teeth and wait everytime that little "Starting Java..."
> message appears in the Netscape status window and shanghais my browser.
> Could this new technology be the answer to the long Java waits??

In very simple cases, possibly (although I'd rather trust Java and the
protected environment that applets run in than any plugin). But again, not
as a general replacement.

Ben Z. Tels
optimusb(at)stack.nl
http://www.stack.nl/~optimusb/
UIN:2474460

"The Earth is the cradle of the mind, but one cannot stay in the cradle
forever."
                                        --Tsiolkovsky

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