[WEB4LIB] Re: Java and e-resource vendors

[Thomas Dowling]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard L. Goerwitz III" <richard at goerwitz.com>

> I'd just like to confirm my own intutions about Java and its future
> in e-resources.
>
> Three or four years ago it looked as if Java applets would become a
> major factor in the deployment of e-resources.  But then Sun and Mic-
> rosoft squabbled, and IE never did much with Java.

Actually, several versions of IE got rave reviews for their Java
performance.  When Netscape 4 and IE 4 came out within a few months of each
other, that was one of the issues that the PC Magazines of the world pointed
at to differentiate the two.  In Microsoft's embrace-and-extend operation,
the embrace part went really well.  It was the extend part that caused the
rift.

>
> Since then the use of Java applets has appeared to decline, to the
> point where I'm wondering whether any e-resource vendors are making
> significant use of them.
>

A wise man once said, "I have seen the future of the Web...and it's
[sic--sorry, Roy] name is Java."

But as a different wise man said, the future isn't what it used to be.  I
agree with your assessment that client-side Java is dwindling in importance,
and I'd identify four reasons.  First, all the cutesy (but pointless)
animations that were initially used to demonstrate Java are now easier to
make in Flash (though they're still mostly pointless).  Second, Java applets
are still substantially harder to develop than comparable server-side
platforms.

Third, the "run anywhere" part of Java proved to be a mirage.  Point fingers
where you will, the reality is that no one can risk putting a
mission-critical application out as an applet, except in intranets with
tightly controlled browser options.  Witness the cross-browser issues with
the Dynix Java interface, which, last time I checked, won't run with *Sun's*
version of Java installed as a plug-in.

And fourth, Java has not solved its accessibility issues, while libraries
have become increasingly aware of their responsibilities to users in this
area.  If you have to provide a non-Java version of your service anyway, the
incentive to develop the Java version in the first place is greatly
diminished.

But, as you point out, Java is thriving on the server end.  I see more and
more sites using JSP and servlets, and lots of stand-alone Java applications
for database connectivity.

Thomas Dowling
Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu
Thomas Dowling
Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu