I don't want to get into a religious are about languages. Avoiding
such wars is the esason I've been in favor of an API all along.
Sufsice it to say that, with the release of Netscape 2.0, I can start
shipping *behaviors* around the Internet. I can do this in Java.
This doesn't mean that Java is the end-all, or even that it's a good
language. It's merely the language that gets this particular job
done. And VRML desperately needs this job done.
No one is saying that the API will be limited to Java. I personally
expect it won't be, and that something more easy to use will come along.
While I have no problems writing Java apps some of my coworkers are not so
(mis)fortunate. There will be languages for them, I'm sure.
The point that should be remembered above all else is that Java can
be used as a hypothetical example of a behavior engine that sits outside
of the browser. The API should be designed according to the kind of
messages that need to be sent, but this design must be grounded in at
least a few practicalities. The hypothetical example of Java provides
that grounding.
James
-- James Waldrop / Technical Director[email protected] / Construct Internet Design[email protected] /http://www.construct.net