Re: Java and ActiveX

[Bill Bledsoe <Bill -dot- Bledsoe -at- CMS-STL -dot- COM>]

Arlen, gang,

Looking for techie hat... wait... okay ready to respond.

Comments below:

Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM wrote:
>
> Calm, down, Bill. ;{>}
>
> What I meant was that the issue (Java v ActiveX) was not one that technical
> communicators would settle, or even affect in any large way.

While I agree to a large extent... some of us have a say in this when it
effects our web sites and online documents...

> Not that the
> issue was too technical for us to understand. I doubt any of us have much
> affect on what tools the devlopers use to create their products, however
> much affect we have on communicating what those products do. Most
> programmers don't take very well to someone Outside the Circle telling them
> what tools they have to use (I suspect their reaction would be roughly akin
> to our reaction to their attempt to tell us which WP or DTP tools to use).

Good point.  But... again, now since we're designing online documents...
How close are those to really coding?  The lines of "development" are
blurring rapidly... therefore, as an "information developer" for the
online media, I DO have to have some say in this mattter.  I guess you
could say that the "circle" that we all grew to know, love, and feel
comfortable in... is disappearing.

>       Vendors that follow the CORBA standard have very few problems with
>       this.  That's the idea behind standards.
>
> Check out Network Computing, 3/1/97 page 51 for a look at the current state
> of CORBA in reality (Fritz, if you're listening, you owe me for the plug).
> It's an evaluation of Object Request Brokers performed at the UW. The text
> contains the clear inference that nothing currently exists which implements
> the CORBA specs (page 57).

A clear inference????  What exactly is a clear inference?  Sorry to be
so harsh... but I just don't know what a clear inference is.

I have to disagree with whatever the article said about this (while
publically acknowledging that I have not read it).  While it IS true
that not all of the CORBA services are commercially implemented (IOW for
sale...yet) there are companies implementing those non-commercially
available services with the tools out there now.  I know.  I worked with
one.  I think several others have too.  This stuff is happening very
quickly.

> (I should note that I'm CORBA fan, but must
> realisticly acknowledge that while it's interesting in theory, the reality
> of it is yet to be determined.)

Glad to hear it. I knew there was a reason why your previous
participations appeared so intelligent!  :-)

Remember that reality is in the eye of the cup holder... uh I mean it is
what we make it. If we want to have applications from different vendors
work together, then we'll work to support the standards that allow this
to occur.  If we don't then we will not be able to achieve the benefits
of cross-platform computing nearly as quickly.  Nuff said to the list.


cheers,
--
************************************************************
Bill Bledsoe
Senior Technical Writer - CMS
St. Louis, MO
Bill -dot- Bledsoe -at- cms-stl -dot- com or intlidox -at- anet-stl -dot- com
webmaster: St. Louis Chapter - STC <www.stc.org/region6/stl>

"The Internet is the first thing that
humanity has built that humanity doesn't
understand,"    Eric Schmidt, CTO Sun  10/18/96
*************************************************************

 TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot-  Send commands
   to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
  Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/  or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html