Re: Java

[Doug Orleans <address@hidden>]

Paul Prescod writes:
 > Even programmers who do FFTs all day need to
 > move files around and process text.  We all work with input data and
 > output data. And that data is typically stored in text files.

Java's first "killer app" was web applets.  Applet security didn't let
you read files even if you want to.  There's no need to move files
around and process text when you're just displaying an animated Duke--
or more realistically, a thin client connected to a server; the input
and output data are GUI events and RMI calls.  My hunch is that the
main reason java.io.File existed in 1.0 was so that they could
implement a Java compiler in Java.

--dougo@ccs.neu.edu