Comments Re Active Labs demo

[Timothy L. Pickering]

Henry found the URL listed below interesting.  I found it to be another
telling example of the incredibly overblown puffery surrounding Java
scripts.  If this is an example of what Java can/will deliver, it will
never find acceptance in my corner of the world.
The most glaring short-coming of this technology is that it fails to
provide any indication of when it is active vs when it is waiting for
input.  That, coupled with rather slow network connections in most cases,
dooms it to failure in its current mode.

Example:  From the opening screen window, which looks like some kind of
structure drawing program, I clicked on the right button labeled aromatics.
The button depressed, then NOTHING HAPPENED FOR 30 SECONDS.  That is
forever when you are sitting in front of a computer screen and are
expecting some response.  Then a new window opened - blank - and nothing
happened for about 10 seconds.  Finally, I got a menu of aromatic
structures.  Then I clicked on one of them.  Repeat the experience just
described above.

On my Apple system, when I supply input to an application, and there is
going to be a significant delay in response, the  system/application alerts
me to be patient by showing a clockface, hour glass, or some other icon
that indicates the system is busy, but it knows I am waiting and will
return a response as soon as it can.  When I supply input to a Java applet,
my cursor disappears and then nothing happens for seconds or more typically
- minutes.  Then, several mouse clicks later, the applet starts responding,
but usually it is responding to a state that existed several minutes ago,
not the state that exists now.  When I see this delayed response, my
reaction is - Hey, maybe it is working now - so I click again to try to do
what I initially began.  But the result is merely repeated.  The applet has
to start again, my cursor disappears, there is no indication of what, if
anything is going on, or how long it might be before I should expect a
response.

Reading through the E-mail comments suggests others are similarly
frustrated.  Most of the developer responses take the form - please allow
time time for the application to load, response may be slow due to loading
delays, etc.

Please, people, get real.  This is not a viable system in its present
state.  The only thing you are doing by showing off such crippled examples
is convincing me not to believe anything I hear about Java.  Others may
have similar responses.

Tim Pickering
Virginia Tech
=============>>



>Date: Sun, 2 Feb 1997 22:08:38 GMT
>Reply-To: h.rzepa at ic.ac.uk
>Originator: chemweb at ic.ac.uk
>Sender: chemweb at ic.ac.uk
>Precedence: bulk
>From: "Rzepa, Henry" <h.rzepa at ic.ac.uk>
>To: Multiple recipients of list <chemweb at ic.ac.uk>
>Subject: Active Labs demo
>X-Comment:  Chemistry Webmasters Discussion list
>
>This is an interesting URL for client/server based Java chemistry
>applications
>
>http://www.acdlabs.com/activelab/
>
>If anyone has come across similar environments, do please post this
>list.
>
>
>Dr Henry Rzepa,  Dept. Chemistry,  Imperial College,  LONDON SW7 2AY;
>rzepa at ic.ac.uk; Tel  (44) 171 594 5774; Fax: (44) 171 594 5804.
>URL: http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/
>
>
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