On Mon, 2008-04-28 at 09:01 -0400, Colin Walters wrote: > 2008/4/27 Callum Lerwick <seg@xxxxxxxxxx>: > > > > IMHO the only reason Java bytecode exists is to make it possible to > > distribute "run anywhere" proprietary software while keeping the source > > code closed. > > No. Even originally, that isn't true. You don't honestly believe that, do you? > Having separate source and > binary formats gives you a lot of flexibility; for example you can > compile source code that uses new features into an older bytecode in a > compatibility mode. ... Which is completely moot if you're not distributing bytecode in the first place. > If you think the reason it's still around is just obfuscation, try > using a modern decompiler. Decompilers don't bring back comments or documentation. And commercial joints protective of their source inevitably use a post-processor to obfuscate class and method names (and possibly even more evil things) as well: http://www.google.com/search?q=java+bytecode+obfuscator Technically, you can de-compile native binaries too. They're reverse-engineered all the time. > > Thus in an open source environment, Java bytecode has > > little reason to exist. If we're going to *distribute* compiled code, it > > may as well be nice fast native code. > > 1) Hotspot does a fine job of creating native code. Unless it's somehow faster than AOT-compiled native code, that's a non-argument. > 2) There are a *ton* of languages other than Java that run on top of > the JVM that compile to bytecode. JRuby, to name one. Which are all as equally pointless as Java itself. My argument applies to them as well. > 3) It's simply not worth trying to go against the grain of the entire > Java community here. You're absolutely right. The FLOSS community standing up for itself and going against the grain of closed source software? What the hell was I thinking... I rescind my argument.
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