Re: Definition of outdated...

Well eh...

Lets talk about TCP/IP this is ancient (in the '60s) Internet couldn't live
without it. Databases: eh. Cobol and ISAM yes, indexed sequential files.
Very ancient. SQL? Just a software layer around Indexed sequential files.
Word processing, Spreadsheets, WHAT did bring the graphical environements
exept from what-you-see-is-what-you-get? Huge memory, Huge disks, Huge pc's
and what is the difference between 'the old days'?. Virtual machines,
Browser based applications, sounds to me as the old-fashion Server/Terminal
stuff. Ok, it's graphical. But does every app needs this? What was wrong
with the great response of textbased interfaces? Ah well, perhaps I'm
old-fashioned too. (I am).

albert


"Kim Madsen" <kbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> schreef in bericht
news:47d71f3f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Warning... the following may contain provocative statements and irony.

There are often a reference to a programming language to be 'outdated',
and often that happens in comparison to another language that someone
wants to promote.

Say.. Delphi... many places management and project managers refer to it as
outdated.

But what exactly means 'outdated'? Why is something 'outdated'?

Looking strictly at the wording, then Java is more outdated than Delphi,
as Java was invented in 1991 based on a C syntax, and Delphi in 1995 based
on a Pascal syntax.

And buzzwords like Garbage Collection was invented all the way back in
1959 when Lisp was invented. Heck even Basic had GC built in.. so that
surely _must_ be an outdated feature! ;)

Then there is C, which C# and Java and C++ et all builds parts of their
syntax on... that was invented back in 1972... must seriously be
outdated... why on earth are anyone still using C/C++ to make operating
systems, real time systems and other applications that are critical and
where leaks and severe bugs are no no's as they have a huge impact on the
use of the product?.. yes.. why on earth is that.... reflection... ah..
reflection.. what about the term 'reflection'....

Reflection is in its core the same as RTTI in Delphi (RunTime Type
Information), but given a new shiny brand.
It was already available in Smalltalk invented back in 1970/71.. so surely
that feature must be perfect examplified object of being totally outdated.

Hmm.. object... object... object oriented... that word combination
rings a bell somewhere... now... we all know that C# and Java are masters
of OO... anyway so are the claims... but did they invent OO?... nah... we
all know that Bjarne Stoustrup invented C++ and the object oriented scheme
dont we?.. Nope.. not even close. It goes all the way back to 1960s, and
the language Simula that was invented by a couple of Norweigians.
So OO is really pretty old stuff.. it cant be useful today that old stuff
can it? It must virtually be outdated!

That rings another bell... virtual... virtual.. something that isnt there
for real!... weird word... ... virtual machine.. thats really a buzzword
in this decade... What is actually referred to are process virtual
machines. Things that enables on the fly interpretation of semi compiled
source code (also called Pseudo code or P-code). Interpreter... that goes
all the way back to 1930 (and perhaps even longer) by a numerical
interpreter by IBM... THATS old.. so we wont even spend a startrek second
more on that.. that is definitely outdated. However there is another
variant of process virtual machines, that use a technique called Just In
Time compiling (JIT).. ie. the source or semicompiled source (P-code) is
compiled to machine instructions shortly before the time the instructions
are needed while executing the application.

THAT sounds cool... it MUST be a novel and very modern thing since it even
got a modern name for it... Managed Code, right? Nah.. VisualWorx (which
is a SmallTalk implementation) did that almost 30 years ago... in the
1980s. Thats old! Thats outdated!

Well.. you get the picture I hope...

What imo should be outdated is how money controls hype that controls
management that controls pure logic and common sense.

Lets take a step back and discuss what exactly what is the reason for new
commercially popular languages today?

My take is that its not technical, practical or even (for the single user)
economical reasons that is the reason for them.
Its a global battle about marketshares and control. In other words...
something happening in the very high altitudes where the air is so thin
that people living in such places will get problems thinking rationally.

--
best regards
Kim Madsen
kbm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.components4developers.com

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