.NET? is this a threat?

[Dale DeMott]

So.. in hearing about .Net I'm a bit concerned for the Java pathway. Is this threatened? Should I be concerned about .Net or should I just keep going for my Java Cert? Will .Net help or hurt Sun considering? Your thoughts on this or other things with .Net
Thanks
Dale

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What's this H2SO4 doing in my fridge?? ( thud )

[M Prembroke]

Originally posted by Dale DeMott:
So.. in hearing about .Net I'm a bit concerned for the Java pathway. Is this threatened? Should I be concerned about .Net or should I just keep going for my Java Cert? Will .Net help or hurt Sun considering? Your thoughts on this or other things with .Net
Thanks
Dale

I don't think it's right to look at .NET as a "threat" to Java in the sense that the former will crush the later. Java will continue to expand indefinitely. Yet, .NET will be wildly successful as well, imho. Java has 5 years behind it and it's here to stay. Many companies will just refuse to adopt .NET due to being locked into one vendor. .NET's main advantage is being able to leverage the fast front-end of the pervasive Windows desktop. Java is weak in this area.
From a mercenary point of view however, the demand for C#/.NET programmers may be extraordinary in another 12 months, depending on how successful MS is in getting it out. The two important developments coming in the next 24 months are the built-in natural language (voice) interface and the 3D GUI. In addition to the Java-ization of Windows (to Windows.NET), tons of new stuff will be in demand due to the two new front-end interfaces which will be the bedrock of Windows for this decade: being able to control your computer substantially by normal rate speaking voice, and by a GUI that's no longer flat 2D objects like we've had since the Macintosh, but a new a dynamic 3d object based interface.
It's funny how some people in the media say the "PC is dead"- there's going in fact to be a huge change in popular computing in the next few years, like we've not seen since since the introduction of windowing interfaces in the 1980s. The combination of Ghz processor speeds, huge memory, and most importantly, 3D graphic chips as standard, are going to lead to lots of new software innovations soon that exploit (and demand) faster hardware. Since Microsoft has the de facto monopoly of the desktop, the fate of progress rests in their hands.

[Tony Alicea]

DOT.NOT ... woops! I mean .NET, is not a threat because it does not exist. Yet.
It may exist some day (you know Microsoft; they announce and announce and then maybe deliver).
As the monopoly that they are, they order their captive audience to wait for "this" new wonderful product and to not buy any competing product that may exist now.
Like J2EE.
Microsoft could not pollute Java beyond recognition and now it's trying to continue to lock the users of Windows to the Wintel platform.
Only time will tell if the Evil Empire has its way.
It is very possible since the "Force of Darkness" can prevail if the One And Only Light is playing "hooky"!
Ha ha!

[Eric Barnhill]

I just spoke to some Java consultants who were going around converting programs from COM into web-based Java applications. I guess there's a demand for it. For what that's worth.

[Michal Harezlak]

Down with MS Vaporware!!! *.NET dose not exist and no one really know what it will do or do not. And remember people will leave in glass houses and flight to work in private helicopters by the end of XX century �
�640KB should be enough for everyone!!�

[Junaid Bhatra]

Last week I attended a Java User's group meeting where the topic of the discussion was "Java vs .NET". The speaker was Ted Neward, the author of Server-based Java programming. Interestingly enough, he was convinced that .Net is the way to go, and would pose a serious threat to Java in the future.
However I came back unimpressed. There is nothing in .NET and C# that Java can't do better. Sure there are a few interesting things in .NET, but it does not have any new features which aren't already there in the computing world. Moreover most of the good ideas have been stolen from Java.
M$ has this grand vision of doing everything and anything with .NET. But .NET is still a good one year from being released in it's final version (and another 4 yrs to sort out all the bugs that come along with it ). And unless you have something concrete which you can look at, it's anybody's guess what it might be. So for now I would simply dismiss it as pure marketing hype.
And the biggest disadvantage with .NET? Being tied to the Windows platform. I don't wanna be running .NET on Windows 2000 and see my server crash 10 times a day. I'd much rather use a good old Solaris box running a J2EE app server!

[Jim Baiter]

E-Speak ( http://e-speak.hp.com ) is an B2B XML framework that
uses Java and is a couple of years ahead of where MS is trying
to go with .NET & C#,VB, etc.

[Tom Hennigan]

For what it is worth, in past year, I have worked for 2 Fortune 500 companies (my company peddles my Java skills on the open market) each of which take deliberate steps to avoid relying exclusively on Microsoft technology due to its uncertain, if not unreliable, nature. Each of these firms are implementing significant Java technology underpinning.