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the definition of a Java program's entry point... | 361 comments | Create New Account
Comments belong to whoever posts them. Please notify us of inappropriate comments.
the definition of a Java program's entry point...
Authored by: Anonymous on Sunday, May 20 2012 @ 10:11 PM EDT
when you write a program, do you use ALL of the APIs or do you just include the
ones that you will be using for the task at hand? Just curious. :)

The concept is no different in C/C++ (more my cup of "java"). You use
only what you need to get the job done. Everything else is superfluous and
unnecessary for the task at hand... Just because I'm not using strings.h, it
doesn't mean that it is not an essential part of C++, and it doesn't mean that
it isn't heavily depended on.

Think about the English language. All the words you find in the dictionary are
not necessary to say, "Hello, world." All you need is two of them for
that specific task. The more complex your communication, the more words you
will need to use...

You're suggesting that, because Google does not use this API or that API, then
APIs are non-essential to java. That makes about as much sense as saying
because no words were used other than "Hello" and "world,"
they must be the only ones essential to the English language.

Your new assignment. Make the rest of your comments using only the words
"Hello" and "World". Let's see how far that gets you.

Oracle's argument that "Java is free to use but APIs cannot be used"
is equivalent to my telling you that the English language is free to use, but
you can't use any words out of all-inclusive English dictionary. Oracle's
lawsuit is hardly founded in reality... Just like SCOs lawsuit was hardly
founded in reality... Both companies have the all-too-familiar-now stench of
poisoned fish.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

If they are not considered core to the language, then why are they in the java namespace?
Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, May 21 2012 @ 04:55 AM EDT
They aren't in sun.* or oracle.*

As the above poster noted, just because something is core to the language
doesn't mean that it is necessary to do all tasks, merely that it is to be
considered part of the language itself. I don't use the word rhinoceros
frequently enough for it to be part of my regular vocabulary, but that doesn't
mean it isn't an English word. By the same token, if I were making a dictionary

for biologists it would probably be present.

What is core to the language is an issue here, because Oracle have conceded
that the java language is free to use. They are also attempting to put in place

an arbitrary and unsupported concept that some APIs are not part of that
language, despite the obvious namespace and the fact that the language can't
function at all without some of them.

A reasonable person could look at the following

1) Java language is not functional without some (variously strewn) java.x APIs
2) Java language is free to use
3) No distinction has ever been made between APIs that should be considered
"core" to the language and those that are not
4) java.x is the obvious namespace of the language

and conclude

5) java.x is free to use too.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

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