Date: Fri, 08 Jan 1999 18:06:40 -0500
From: Kirk Hutchinson <kirkh@fcgnetworks.net>
To: Java-Linux@java.blackdown.org
Subject: jdk 1.2 was released too early

For those of you who are not programming on multiple platforms and
have not begun using the much-balleyhooed Java 2, let me clue you in on
a few things.

Java 2 was released WAY too early, and consequently suffers from
many bugs and problems.  The following parts are things my team
has encountered where intelligence has changed for the worse, or
is just plain broken now:

combo boxes
table models
character consuming
JNI - still sucks - especially on Solaris
Metal look and feel - color and image problems, wicked spacing
System.exec problems still
There are a number of others crucial to our project that have
     been on hold due to Javasoft's negligence.

Plus, there are a number of issues which have not been resolved that
should have been over a year ago.

There are a few plusses (RMI is faster, overall view speed has improved), but
the negatives are definitely more than the positives.
I can't wait for 1.2.1!

Personally, I think they opened the source because they realized they
were falling so too behind the performance and ability they were
supposed to have by now.  The more open licensing will hopefully allow
others to fix areas of great need they just haven't fixed yet.

Stick with 1.1.7 and you'll be better off until 1.2.1 (or 2.0.1 - if
they can ever get their names straight).

Java will be great if they don't keep screwing it up!

kirk
-- 
Kirk Hutchinson, kirkh@fcgnetworks.com
Electrical & Software Engineer, Cabletron Systems
What good is unused science?