Doug's Mailbag: Java Pains, Jobs Is Marketing Genius
Here's some reader thoughts on Java and its software:
Oracle yesterday sent my Vista system a new Java Console (JC), v. 6.0.22, with which to update prior JCs 6.0.20 and 6.0.21.
I dutifully downloaded and installed it. After restarting Firefox (v. 3.6.10), some Web pages would no longer load, the rendering kept getting hung and the browser window would go blank white, despite the full HTML file having come in.
My solution was to disable the new Java Console 6.0.22 in the "Add-ons" extensions tab. This allowed the newly problematic Web pages to function again.
Is that a known issue?
-Fred
I can't tell you how often we're forced to leave OLD versions of Java on client PCs because the critical "cloud" apps they need break under newer versions of Java. Backwards compatibility? What for? That's a Microsoft marketing term. Who needs it? We're Java, we're cool, and we could care less if every rev or security update breaks mission-critical apps! Besides, haven't we proven we don't have to sell products? Oops, guess that didn't work out so well for us. (Sun, what's Sun?)
-Chris
One reader gives his thoughts on how important Steve Jobs is to Apple:
Sure, Doug, I remember those days (like they were yesterday). The thing is that Steve Jobs has something neither Sculley nor most others have: A vision that borders on marketing genius.
Steve Jobs is a brilliant man but his perspective is narrow. He knows how to bring a consumer product to market -- how to make it look SEXY and how to make everyone want one -- at any price!
Unfortunately for Apple, someday Steve jobs will be gone from the company and I see no vision for what happens to Apple when that marketing genius is no longer running the show.
For whatever reason, no one is being groomed to replace Steve, or for Steve even to mentor. It's bad enough that Steve has no concept of the value of having a strong presence in the enterprise. It's worse when you realize that if Steve Jobs get run over by a bus tomorrow, Apple could quickly become a rudderless ship destined to run itself aground.
-Marc
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Posted by Doug Barney on 10/25/2010 at 1:18 PM