Me, Java & JSP
Saturday / 04 December 04
Three weeks ago I started attending the second semester of my minor: Informatics & Information Technology. Even though it sounds extremely fancy, it doesn’t seem to be much more than: Java, UML, Sybase RDBMS and the project management method RUP. Is that it? Is that my entire minor? So far it looks like it.
Yesterday we completed the first iteration as described by RUP. Within three weeks we were required to learn about the lovely (heavy sarcasm) technology called Java Server Pages (JSP) and build the first version of a simple web application. Simple? Well, in theory it’s simple.
I’ll spare you the details, but now I know why some friends and developers call JSP the “kid you just want to throw off a bridge”. Simple tasks are made difficult and difficult tasks are solved through hacking. Granted, I am a beginner when it comes to JSP, but my first impressions aren’t positive. Perhaps that’s why we’ll move on to servlets in the next couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, I’ll just stick to the, as my Java teacher described, dirty language called PHP. It seems to be the right tool for web applications that don’t need off-the-web integration.
1Nick Coad posted:
19 December 04, 05:18:28 AM
It's frustrating how easy-to-use languages like PHP are looked down on, usually for no good reason. Generally it's a case of "how can something so simple be useful?" People seem to think complexity must come from a complex foundation. Java, in my some-what limited experience, is a fairly complex foundation (of course, not the most complex in existence!) and PHP is of course a simple foundation. Both are capable of producing similar results, but I think most developers would agree that the simpler foundation means simpler development techniques, and less frustration.
I don't know how much sense that made, but in essence I was just saying "I agree". :o)