Small

Hype

Another aspect of being simple is being small. One of the goals of Java is to enable the construction of software that can run stand-alone in small machines. The Java interpreter and standard libraries have a small footprint. A small size is important for use in embedded systems and so Java can be easily downloaded over the net.
--The Java Language, An Overview

Reality

This is less successful. As time passes, Java libraries are getting larger not smaller. A typical Java distribution is in the ballpark of 10 megabytes. Many basic functions like reading integers from the command line are hiding in unexpected places.

Furthermore, Java needs an extremely fast (and expensive) processor to achieve decent performance. You'll notice vendors publish benchmarks from Pentium Pros, UltraSparcs, and 200 MHz PowerPC 604es. If they used more common, slower, cheaper chips, their benchmarks would nosedive.

Bottom Line: B-


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Copyright 1997 Elliotte Rusty Harold
elharo@sunsite.unc.edu
Last Modified Sunday, March 9, 1997