Re: P-Source: A Guide to the Apple Pascal System

[mdj <mdj.mdj@gmail.com>]

On Nov 27, 3:38 pm, David Schmenk <dschm...@YUCH.gmail.com> wrote:

> One thing I've found out during this exercise is that current Java
> technology has really segmented itself.  There are all sorts of versions
> out there to try and satisfy each market.  A small device that runs Java
> has megabytes of memory and a 32 bit processor.  Nano device have ~200K
> memory and 16 bit processors.  Many of the small devices and almost all
> the nano devices have specialized build procedures that massage the Java
> class files into a more palatable native format.  Doesn't that run
> counter to the write once, debug everywhere goal?  The standard class
> library gets progressively smaller as the device shrinks, too. In the
> end, I think its a testament what the p-system was able to pull off with
> the technology available.

Yeah, the only real advantage is having one source language across
virtually every device, but you're right, the 'tiny' implementations
are pretty light on for class libraries.

Having said that, it's interesting to note that what was a 'tiny'
device a few short years ago (eg. a Cell Phone) can, thanks to
technology progression, now run the entire J2SE implementation, so the
benefits become greater as technology improves and today's embedded
device matches yesterdays desktop for computing power.

Matt