Java and Perl (was Re: [plug] Time & Task Management Tool)

[Peter Caffin]

On Thu, 3 Jun 1999, John Summerfield wrote:
> Lynx aside, what browsers are actually in use that lack Java support? If 
> you can name any (I can), does the user have a choice (in the case I'm 
> thinking of, the user does).

Amaya, for one. As a user, I also very rarely have Javascript enabled.
It's a pain in the butt having Javascript error messages popping up from
poorly programmed sites designed with a different browser's implementation
of Javascript in mind (roughly half of them, it seems, for me).

If worst comes to worst, I check the webpage's source code to see where
the links are. If I can't find that, then I dump the site unless I *know*
it has information I need. Then I'll enable Javascript and hope.

> You'd be surprised at the html overhead. I regularly get some web pages 
> that reduce 90% by removing html and redundant (constant) text.

More likely to be the result of a lame HTML editor, IMHO.

> Comes the day, though, when one must step forward. Do you cater for lynx's 
> lack of tables,

Lynx users tend to compensate for the lack of tables support. Lynx
presents the table with data side by side which you can guess at the
formatting. Its frames understanding is a lot better than it used to be
too. It'll quite happily give you links to each individual frame.

> or do you recommend users use netscape, IE, webexplorer, 
> hotjava etc instead?

Why should anyone dare to expect anyone else to change their browser just
to look at their website? I mean, really.. what arrogance! In any case,
most people would respond to such a request in the same way I do.. ditch
the site. Most sites making use of Javascript for critical information
just aren't worth it anyway.

> THen it's not perl any more: it's perl and an army. Java has it built in, 
> perl doesn't.

Javascript is one programming language running on a client. Perl is
duct-tape which glues the server's apps and such together and which has a
fair whack of processing on its own. It doesn't *rely* on other programs,
but, it can make use of them to speed up development...

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