Re: The Joy of Java

[Alex Strasheim <cp@proust.suba.com>]

>From the begining of the Java discussion on this list, Perry has been
predicting that a continuous series of security holes would be discovered
in Java implementations.

So far he's been proven right.

I like Java -- I'm not a professional programmer, and Java is a lot easier
for me to work with than C++.  And I can buy the argument that for many
people the benefits of applets will outweigh the security risks.  I'm 
willing to run sendmail, and I'm willing to run Java as well.  I'm not 
working in a finance house, and there's not anything that sensitive on my 
machine.

It also seems likely to me that Java secure mail applets and remailer
clients will do a lot of good from a cypherpunk point of view.  Java looks
like it's going to put easy to use gui crypto tools within reach of
everyone with a web browser.

So I'd like to see Java catch on, as long as users are allowed to make 
informed decisions about the risks and the benefits of running applets.

But Perry has a track record on this issue (and on many other issues as
well).  I don't think many people here are going dismiss what he's saying
because someone called him a food fighter.