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I've been using play + java 8 for the past two years. Have been quite happy with it. I did php and node.js before, and I can't say I'm missing anything in parti

by Joeri 9y ago

I've been using play + java 8 for the past two years. Have been quite happy with it. I did php and node.js before, and I can't say I'm missing anything in particular from those ecosystems. Build times could be a tad better, and some aspects could use more documentation, but the code is easy to write and maintain and the app is blazing fast and easy to deploy. I've gotten the same positive feedback from other web devs that joined my team. They all like it.

vram22 9y ago
Thanks for the info. Might check out Play. Yes, Java performance is fast. I had read that Sun had put millions of dollars into making it fast [1], hiring very qualified people to work on the compiler, the JIT engine, etc., over a period of many years. And the speed difference between early and later Java versions was perceptible. [1] Apart from the millions they also put into marketing Java to enterprises. And that worked, as we know. It became huge in the enterprise and still is.
- cutler 9y ago
  I believe Kotlin code runs close to Java speed which is another reason it might catch on.
  - vram22 9y ago
    Good point. Looking a bit like Kotlin is worth checking out, based on the comments in this thread, and also that other one some days ago, which was triggered by Steve Yegge's post about it. The only one drawback I can think of as of now, is that it is only being developed by one company - JetBrains (unless it is open source and allows and has contributors, which I have not checked). Update: I checked, it is open source: >In February 2012, JetBrains open sourced the project under the Apache 2 license from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotlin_(programming_language) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotlin_(programming_language)
    - cutler 9y ago
      These days a new language which isn't open source wouldn't have much of a chance, I reckon.
      - vram22 9y ago
        Question is are you using the term open source strictly as it is meant, i.e. the source is available, or as some use it, loosely, to mean both open source and free (as in beer)? [1] [1] I ask that because all 4 possible combinations of open/closed source and paid/free software exist. But "open source" is often used loosely by people to mean both open source and free as in beer, including by well-known tech journalists or authors who should know better. I think even closed source languages which are paid, have a chance, just maybe not very big a one. But that is not a problem as such. Not everyone is aiming to be a unicorn - more like the opposite. [ This idea of "go big or go home" (propounded by VC's) is deleterious to the public health (TM:) ] But the chance is probably big enough for a company or three (for that language) to live on - provided they get their act right (enough) on all fronts, including tech and marketing. And even big enough for an ecosystem to build around them. Such things still exist today, just that they are not so much talked/written about as much as open source and the latest "hot" trends are. Blame the media and the cool kids for that. And I say this as a strong (though not exclusive) proponent, user and somewhat of a practitioner of open source.
  - vram22 9y ago
    Just checked and saw this: https://github.com/JetBrains/kotlin-native https://github.com/JetBrains/kotlin-native So Kotlin Native may be another good reason, once it is stable.

by Joeri 9y ago

vram22 9y ago

Thanks for the info. Might check out Play. Yes, Java performance is fast. I had read that Sun had put millions of dollars into making it fast [1], hiring very qualified people to work on the compiler, the JIT engine, etc., over a period of many years. And the speed difference between early and later Java versions was perceptible. [1] Apart from the millions they also put into marketing Java to enterprises. And that worked, as we know. It became huge in the enterprise and still is.

cutler 9y ago
I believe Kotlin code runs close to Java speed which is another reason it might catch on.
- vram22 9y ago
  Good point. Looking a bit like Kotlin is worth checking out, based on the comments in this thread, and also that other one some days ago, which was triggered by Steve Yegge's post about it. The only one drawback I can think of as of now, is that it is only being developed by one company - JetBrains (unless it is open source and allows and has contributors, which I have not checked). Update: I checked, it is open source: >In February 2012, JetBrains open sourced the project under the Apache 2 license from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotlin_(programming_language) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotlin_(programming_language)
  - cutler 9y ago
    These days a new language which isn't open source wouldn't have much of a chance, I reckon.
    - vram22 9y ago
      Question is are you using the term open source strictly as it is meant, i.e. the source is available, or as some use it, loosely, to mean both open source and free (as in beer)? [1] [1] I ask that because all 4 possible combinations of open/closed source and paid/free software exist. But "open source" is often used loosely by people to mean both open source and free as in beer, including by well-known tech journalists or authors who should know better. I think even closed source languages which are paid, have a chance, just maybe not very big a one. But that is not a problem as such. Not everyone is aiming to be a unicorn - more like the opposite. [ This idea of "go big or go home" (propounded by VC's) is deleterious to the public health (TM:) ] But the chance is probably big enough for a company or three (for that language) to live on - provided they get their act right (enough) on all fronts, including tech and marketing. And even big enough for an ecosystem to build around them. Such things still exist today, just that they are not so much talked/written about as much as open source and the latest "hot" trends are. Blame the media and the cool kids for that. And I say this as a strong (though not exclusive) proponent, user and somewhat of a practitioner of open source.
- vram22 9y ago
  Just checked and saw this: https://github.com/JetBrains/kotlin-native https://github.com/JetBrains/kotlin-native So Kotlin Native may be another good reason, once it is stable.