[Isolate-interest] a leetle more status

[Pete Soper]

The bad news is that Sun is shrinking again. The good news is that my 
management expressed definite support for the continued evolution of the
core Java specification (Ok, it's a quibble to say anything in javax.* could
use the label "core" but, isolates are about as core as anything can get and
I hope everybody is clear on that now from my earlier email <grin>). I'm
reading enough into this pronoucement to safely dock an oil tanker and I
have no idea what might happen next. But I haven't given up on the idea that 
the value of isolation might get proper recognition and support. James Gosling 
pronounced isolates long overdue about a year ago, but we were just stuck
between a rock and a hard place then. We'll just have to see what can be 
accomplished. The ideal, in my mind, would be to persuade Sun to release
claims on Miles Sabin's RI code, switch to the more liberal JCP process and
let the hammering out of the architecture proceed with rapid implementation
updates to track it. We could use Linux for J2SE, ME/CDC and ME/CLDC, as far
as I know (but you J2ME guys would have to fill me in).  Hmm, I don't know what
to do about TCK but the current test code is pretty much out the window anyway 
so maybe with this fantasy we just worry about that later.

However I DON'T MAKE THE RULES, I'm voicing a "what if" notion that only came 
to me about two hours ago, and for 100 different possible reasons this email
message and about USD $3.00 would get you a cup of coffee. But maybe it
could work and maybe we can get on with giving Java a real alternative to 
classloader hell and Runtime.exec kludges (no offense intended: some of my
best friends use Runtime.exec!), provable security, etc, etc.

But I have to end with one of those things some of the "kids" like to do (my 
first serious programming involved Univac 1108 assembly language, so you can 
maybe guess my era). But I'm reminded of a line from a Neil Young song off his 
latest album: 

"A little love and affection, in everything you do, will make the world a
better place, with or without you."

Regards,
Pete

PS I hate like hell to start using this "official Sun footer" but I noticed
an earlier message linked from some other web page on the Internet and I
guess I should do this now to sync with today's legally trying times. Hmm,
I'll check and see if Calvin's doing this too. If he hasn't succumbed this
will be the first and last time.

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