Java CS 390

[Peter Motyka]

Mr. Tornaritis hopes to cover everything from Java networking to user interface creation.

I took this class several years ago and really enjoyed it.  One comment I can think of, perhaps the course content should cover JSP/Servlets and other Java/J2EE web-based programming concepts.  Most software engineeried in Java now-a-days will likely be for the web tier.  Adding this aspect to the course content would be very beneficial for SIUE students when looking for a job.

Just my 2 cents.

[Tyler]

If you're looking for something webbased, I would recommend a class on PHP, JavaScript, XML, Ajax, or some combination.  I see 20x more Ajax than I see Java on the web.

Just my 2 cents.

[Matthew Thomas]

PHP and Java is not too bad to figure out, the one thing I wish was I taught is JavaScript. PHP has a nice site that teaches you how to use it and the keywords, Sun has something similar for Java; W3C has a fairly good site on XML....But where is the syntax and keyword site for JavaScript?

[Peter Motyka]

I see 20x more Ajax than I see Java on the web.

I guess it depends on where you look.  I was speaking more in terms of enterprise grade software, which tends to be built on an J2EE stack, not trendy "web 2.0" apps.

I agree though, teaching the building blocks of web-based software would be handy, JavaScript, XML, etc.

From a Java perspective, a week on JSF would suffice in terms of exposure to AJAX.

[Tyler]

I can't argue that I'm sure Java is used more for Enterprise grade software.

But if you ask me, in terms of the future and what the public wants, and job demand, and what will be more useful in 5 years, I would not vote for Java.

Then again I work at an internet company, I'm sure my opinion is biased.

[Peter Motyka]

Then again I work at an internet company, I'm sure my opinion is biased.

I curious as to what the above means, what about Java doesn't attract Internet companies?  Presumably you're referring to small agile start-ups that whip together software products in short order.  The Java development space is bursting at the seams with free open source offerings, with Sun's Java compiler and JRE soon to be open sourced.  Additionally, the Eclipse/NetBeans/etc IDEs are freely available to facilitate rapid software development.  Stack all that up, and I’d find Java hard to resist if I were planning a start-up company on the web.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be defensive, just trying to get to the bottom of this inherent dislike for Java amongst many of the recent college grads I've come across

[Tyler]

First off, I will say up front I have no dislike of Java.

The only "issue" I may have is that whenever I run across Java stuff on the web, it requires a plugin to run it.

If you're in the business of making money on the internet, every plugin a potential customer needs is one more reason for them to go to a competitor.  Many internet companies that sell something average 1% conversion.  1 out of every 100 hits results in a sale (on average of course--and yes, big names are different).

Things like Ajax and the like typically require no plugin, giving customers one less reason to go somewhere else.

[Peter Motyka]

The only "issue" I may have is that whenever I run across Java stuff on the web, it requires a plugin to run it.

Oh, huge misunderstanding.  I'm not talking client-side Java Applets, those died in the late 90's along with Visual Basic.

My point was to Java server-side technologies.  I.E., Servlets, Java Server Pages (JSP), EJB and the like.  

Yes, AJAX is the cats pajamas, but I'll wait for a rapid development approach to emerge rather than clobbling together client side Java Script and parsing XML in such a lousy language.

[Justin Camerer]

A light shines down from the heavens, and an angelic voice projects across all the land.

"Ahhhhhhhh.....".

At last it has been found. Enter, Ruby on Rails...

http://www.rubyonrails.com

'nuff said.


p.s. you wont see me in the java class next semester.

[William Grim]

If it were me, I'd skip Java and go straight to C#.  I think that would be more useful in the long run, considering Mono is maturing and C# is an open language specification, unlike Java.  However, Java wouldn't be bad to know if you're going to be getting into areas that use it, but then again, it's just a language.  And like any language, it can probably be picked up from a book or online resources in a short amount of time, assuming you understand programming fundamentals (and I'm sure you do by the time you get to CS 390).