4 ms·

I personally think Go and Java were developed for the same audience with similar intentions and language designer skill and are going to face the same criticism

I personally think Go and Java were developed for the same audience with similar intentions and language designer skill and are going to face the same criticisms. For natural languages, the research seems to indicate that information is transmitted at the same rate when the languages are spoken (e.g. http://muse.jhu.edu/article/449938/pdf http://muse.jhu.edu/article/449938/pdf) with faster speaking rates compensating for higher verbosity. In terms of writing systems, though, there's definitely a ton of human potential being frittered away on learning Chinese characters and esoteric English spelling rules, but not much that can be done about it even if the Korean alphabet and German rule-adhering regularity are superior. Programming languages are all faster to learn and are iterated on much more quickly and so the possibility of realistically affecting change leads to ideological arguments.

aaron-lebo 9y ago
That was a especially informative reply. Thanks.
user5994461 9y ago
Yes, go is a replacement for Java. Google couldn't rely forever on sun forever (see the later acquisition by Oracle and lawsuits with Google). Big companies want to own their main tools. It's also to separate itself from the Java crowd, which has a rather poor image to a lot of people that google wants to attract.
- pjmlp 9y ago
  Better tell that to the Android, GWT, Guava, OpenJDK teams.
- tptacek 9y ago
  Go happens to be a pretty nice replacement for Java in some targeted circumstances, but that is not why Go exists. Go's charter was to address deficiencies of Google's C++ programming environment, not its Java programming environment. As it happens, outside of (perhaps) Google, C++ serverside development is so rare that Go's strengths aren't very compelling to C++ developers. That Go didn't evolve in the direction its founders expected does not mean that its founders are lying when they explain, clearly and repeatedly, what the original point of the language was.
  - user5994461 9y ago
    C++ is addressed by switching to Java. Use Java when you can and C++ when there is no other option. Java didn't cut it for Google because see my previous post.
gizzlon 9y ago
I always hated Java but really like Go. Think it's because the Go culture and ecosystem strives for simplicity.
- yahna 9y ago
  This attitude always seems to be, and I don't know a better word, hipster-ism. Java isn't cool anymore.

aaron-lebo 9y ago

That was a especially informative reply. Thanks.

user5994461 9y ago

Yes, go is a replacement for Java. Google couldn't rely forever on sun forever (see the later acquisition by Oracle and lawsuits with Google). Big companies want to own their main tools. It's also to separate itself from the Java crowd, which has a rather poor image to a lot of people that google wants to attract.

pjmlp 9y ago
Better tell that to the Android, GWT, Guava, OpenJDK teams.
tptacek 9y ago
Go happens to be a pretty nice replacement for Java in some targeted circumstances, but that is not why Go exists. Go's charter was to address deficiencies of Google's C++ programming environment, not its Java programming environment. As it happens, outside of (perhaps) Google, C++ serverside development is so rare that Go's strengths aren't very compelling to C++ developers. That Go didn't evolve in the direction its founders expected does not mean that its founders are lying when they explain, clearly and repeatedly, what the original point of the language was.
- user5994461 9y ago
  C++ is addressed by switching to Java. Use Java when you can and C++ when there is no other option. Java didn't cut it for Google because see my previous post.

gizzlon 9y ago

I always hated Java but really like Go. Think it's because the Go culture and ecosystem strives for simplicity.

yahna 9y ago
This attitude always seems to be, and I don't know a better word, hipster-ism. Java isn't cool anymore.