Rick Ross

When my dear friend Allan had major surgery a couple of years ago, I was thankful for the specialists who were able to meet his needs and provide him with critical care. The success of his procedure was absolutely dependent upon the exceptional skills of these specialists - without whom failure would have been certain. In software development, as in medicine, we have a need for specialists to help manage the enormous complexity that confronts us on a regular basis. Object-oriented programming gurus have historically predicted the evolution of a thriving economy based on the sale of reusable software components, with expert vendors providing solutions for the specialty needs that arise in day-to-day general product development. In theory, at least, these reusable compone... (more)

Make My PC JavaReady!

There's one form of power that is almost universally recognized in our society, the power of consumer spending. This is at the heart of all commerce, and anybody who tries to tell you otherwise must have something to sell you. I read today that more than 45 million American homes now have computers, and I'm sure that the number of computers used in businesses far exceeds that. I doubt th... (more)

MS Killed Java: Time for Justice - A Commentary on Sun's Injunction Request Against Microsoft

(August 30, 2002) - It's interesting to discuss this on the day that Michael Skakel, the "Kennedy cousin", is sentenced to 20 years to life for killing a woman 25 years ago. Someone mentioned to me that it seems a harsh punishment for something that happened so long ago, and I could only reply, "She's still dead." Five years ago, almost to the day, Microsoft shipped IE4 with a JVM that was... (more)

"No Sun Is An Island," Says Javalobby Founder

Read Eric Raymond's Open Letter to Scott McNealy: "Let Java Go" Read "Letting Java Go" - James Gosling in 2003 on Open-Sourcing Java As if driven by the cycles of the moon, it seems like the Java community gets a monthly visit from that special topic that divides and angers us more than any other: the question of whether Sun should "open source" Java? Most recently a top open source advocate... (more)

Sun-Microsoft: "Where Is Java In This Settlement?" Asks Javalobby Founder

Read "No Sun Is An Island" - also by Rick Ross I can neither endorse nor denounce the Sun/Microsoft settlement at this point. Those of us on the outside have no access to the particulars of the settlement and have no way to know whether Sun has sold us out. In truth, precious little of the corporate messaging has specifically referenced Java. It would be nice to paint a positive picture, b... (more)