Press Release
October 12, 2005
Beyond Java: A Glimpse at the Future of Programming Languages
Sebastopol, CA--When a dominant language or technology is in its prime,
there's a blissful ignorance stage. This is the stage when, according to
Bruce Tate, ignoring alternatives works in your favor. "When a new
language arrives with the power and dominance of a Java or C++, you can
afford to ignore alternatives for awhile," says Tate. "But if you don't
accurately identify the end of the cycles, you can get steamrolled." He
points out that suddenly the competition will have the jump on you, with
much better productivity leading to better quality and more customers.
"When you enter the transition time," Tate cautions, "you'd better start
paying attention."
Tate, a long-time Java programmer and author of five books, including the
Jolt award-winning Better, Faster Lighter Java (O'Reilly), admits
unashamedly that he has liked having his head in the sand: "It was easy,
and productive, and politically safe." But after living in blissful
ignorance for five years or more, an experience led him to question some
of his assumptions about Java and to recognize some real limitations in
the Java language and many of the frameworks that power it. This
experience led to the writing of his latest book, Beyond Java (O'Reilly,
US $24.95).
"I was working an a project with Justin Gehtland with a small startup in
Austin. We implemented a simple application with Spring, Hibernate, and
Webwork, the classic lightweight stack of technologies for Java. We were
pleased," recalls Tate. "On a whim, we both decided to try Ruby on Rails
over the same weekend. I called Justin to tell him I'd implemented the
model on Rails, but he told me he'd implemented the whole application, in
four nights! We were both blown away. As a Java guy, I pulled back to do
some research, and I found that compared to the so-called dynamic
languages, Java was limited. Further interesting innovations in dynamic
languages were happening, and some of them were doing things that Java
couldn't. Then, this book came pouring out."
In Beyond Java, Tate offers an honest assessment of why Java has been
such a powerful tool, showing the ways in which it has advanced the art of
computer programming. He is quick to note that Java is still king of the
hill. "In fact, powerful and compelling motivations still drive new
investment in Java," he says, and itemizes some of these: the Java
community is vibrant; most major commercial vendors support Java or a
close derivative (C#); open source is thriving in its own right; and
academic institutions teach Java development and do research on
Java-related problems.
But he also shows where it's holding us back. As his premise unfolds,
readers learn that:
Java is moving away from its base. Hardcore enterprise problems may be
easier to solve, but the simplest problems are getting harder to solve.
Java is showing signs of wear, and interesting innovations are beginning
to appear outside of Java.
It's time to start paying attention again. It's time to look at the
horizon, beyond Java.
Tate looks at other languages and frameworks and asks hard questions: What
do these languages do better? Could any of them become the next "big new
thing?" What will the tools of the future look like? Will they look like
J2EE, or will they look like Ruby on Rails? Or, will they be even more
radical, like continuation servers? In addition to his own insights, Tate
includes interviews with leaders of the open source Java and Ruby
communities: Glenn Vanderburg, Ted Neward, Justin Gehtland, James Duncan
Davidson, David Heinemeier Hansson, Jason Hunter, and many others.
Whether or not readers agree with Tate's conclusions, they are certain to
find the book stimulating and provocative. The book will challenge readers
to consider how they're writing software, what makes them productive, and
what holds them back. Above all, Beyond Java will serve as a gentle
wake-up call, preparing Java programmers to recognize the next big
thing--whatever it may be.
Early praise for Beyond Java:
"The next big thing is waiting in the wings, ready to take off the way
Java did ten years ago. This book might well get you in at the ground
floor. Enjoy the future!"
--Dave Thomas, The Pragmatic Programmers LLC
"Bruce Tate puts into words what many have felt: there's life after Java.
By spotting and highlighting contenders, he illuminates possible
successors in a multitude of important niches. This book opens the door
for talking about what comes after Java."
--David Heinemeier Hansson, inventor of Ruby on Rails
Additional Resources:
Beyond Java
Bruce Tate
ISBN: 0-596-10094-9, 185 pages, $24.95 US, $34.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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