When I first read the news that SUNW is changing to JAVA, I had to stop and think...
It's not April 1. What day is it? Literally I thought it was a joke.
I used Suns long before Java and imagine I will use them after Java is buried. The timing is curious when SUNW seems to be getting a good bit of non-Java press.
What do I know about these things? I'm pretty sure about this: Java isn't even the hottest thing on the JVM these days.
Bob Ippolito, Exploring Erlang. It's being used for MochiAds. Nice introductory slides.
Some of the Java people looking at Erlang are finding that it's not Java.
There's a reason for this. Unless you've done a fair bit of Lisp or other functional programming, you're not likely to "get" sequential Erlang in a day. Some will, others will practice then "get" it, and still others will run back to Java and pull the blanket over their heads.
That's fine. Just be aware: if you've only ever programmed with...
for (int i = 0; i < a.length; i++) ...
...then you will have to learn to think differently. There is a reason for this.
That's fine.