From: Alex Strasheim <cp@proust.suba.com>
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 08:15:09 +0800
To: abostick@netcom.com (Alan Bostick)
Subject: Re: Why I dislike Java.
In-Reply-To: <723ix8m9LAhG085yn@netcom.com>
Message-ID: <199605041918.OAA04031@proust.suba.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text


> I hate saying things like "the answer is to educate the users" because
> it is as close to a cop-out as you can get.  But educating the users has
> to be at least part of the answer - and not just the users.  The
> publicity and shareholder relations offices at Foo Corporation need to
> know that putting out information for Wall Street needs to be in a form
> that Wall Street can deal with safely.  If Java doesn't belong on the
> trading floor, it doesn't belong in a press release either.
> 
> I suspect that the best way to get the message across would be for a
> major security disaster - a big-time hack or perhaps just a Java-caused 
> system failure - to take place.

If Perry and a couple of his competitors got together, called themselves 
a professional organization, and issued a press release and guidelines, 
they'd probably be able to have a big impact.  I'll bet they could get it 
picked up in the WSJ, and probably some other papers as well.

"People in environments where security matters (like finance and banking)
shouldn't use java or javascript.  If you want to use the web to reach
these people, don't use java or javascript in your pages."

As stupid as it sounds, sending letters to the people who maintain the www
faqs might be helpful to.  Most web designers would probably follow
guidelines if they knew what they were.  I'll bet that a lot of people 
who write web books will take a look at the faqs, and you might get wider 
coverage through them.