It raises the following questions in my mind however:
First,
I have noted a degree of political angst between Silicon Graphics & SUN
Microsystems. Obviously they are competetors. Would this not hinder
development in some ways by putting a bad taste in both companies mouths? I
can only see this as helping java to deal with a very mot area of development
that they are lacking in, 3D. (As illustrated by recent comments from the
listserver group)
I mean, wouldn't SUN have to release motjava or some portion of it to the
public domain to "level the field" a bit?
Is this what you're driving at?
Also, one of the really nice things about VRML that I DON'T like about java
is the fact that it doesn't use the "VIRUS" technique of execution. It's
still parsed code..benign, harmless, controllable, wonderful.
Running java on your system is in many ways like allowing users on your
server to use have Telnet access. Without very strict control of what
they're up to in there you can have REAL viruses snuck in & a myriad of other
security related problems.
I'm not bashing the idea, oh no! I agree with everything that you have
stated about each platform benefitting the other, however there are some
kinks in there that need to be worked out.
For example, to date the only thing I have had to buy to get involved w/VRML
is that REALLY GOOD book you wrote. (I've mentioned it in two entries in a
row now, I promise not to do it again.) Will I need to now go out & invest
in some hefty SUN stuff to keep current with the VRML development initiative?
I've only just now saved up enough $$ to get my first SGI...
- Gregory Cranz
[email protected]