Java popularity, C++ dominance and C# future

[Guest_imported]

Java has been very popular due to the boom of the Internet. But what else can Java do besides creating web applications on Java web servers?

I failed to get a satisfactory and concrete answer when I post this question in another forum, so I'll try my luck here. I often get the reply that "Java is cool" What does that actually say about the language itself and its applications? Absolutely nothing.

So, given that I want to build applications on Windows (not web applications), I'll choose C++ or maybe C but would I ever choose Java? I think a LARGE majority of softwares we have today are written in C++ rather than C. How many is actually written in Visual C++, I wonder?

Java, main advantage is that it is platform independant. A secondary advantage would be that it is easy to code than C++ (i.e. less prone to errors).

What about C#? Is this just a Microsoft hype? I think so.

What are your views?

 

[icici]

Java has been popular mainly because it supports cross platform.


Lets say U want to access a R-database on UNIX platform and also the same on DOS & WINDOWS platform. U may require atleast three different interfaces for the same. But if your application (connectivity, wherein you access the database) is in JAVA, then you just require the interfaces in your respective OS which would access/invoke JAVA and do the needful.


Regarding C++/VB etc., you still require them as your front-end application which would access JAVA applets/applications and do the job.


C# is being pushed by MICROSOFT as a replacement for JAVA & C++ (personal opinion). It doesn't support any cross platform programming like JAVA. It supports only MS Applications. Hence, though, C# would have good support from Microsoft, whether people would accept it remains to be seen as there are large number of Main-frames which are still working.


I hope this would answer your question to some extent.


MAY BE OTHER USERS CAN CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG