Once in a while, you’ll come across a tech forum or Digg story which involves, at some point, Java. For multiple reasons, Java tends to bring out some ardent apologists and mutually-ill feelings. The debates center around the following:

Java compared to .NET as a language platform
Java+Swing as a desktop application interface (Also known as “Java is slow/crap on the desktop”)
Java’s place as an arguably-good language that was under the rule of an inefficient, shortsighted company with a seemingly-perennial case of bad marketing

The arguments are rebutted by the apologists in similar order:

Java is just as good as .NET/C#, C++, or any other C-derivative or relative
If your Java desktop application runs slow, then it means that either 1) you have a slow computer that needs an upgrade or 2) the guy who made that application is a bad programmer
Java has been used for a long time in mission-critical environments and business institutions

It’s the same argument, traded over and over again whenever a story on some Java-based BitTorrent client is posted, or something like that.

But one ditty was more-or-less repeated by the apologists:

“Download Java 6. It’s faster than previous versions.”

So tonight, I was thinking about which version of Java SE Runtime I had installed on both the desktop and laptop. I usually only opened up Limewire if there was enough free memory to do so (as long as Firefox wasn’t reaching to upwards of 700MB at the moment).

Come to find out that I still had Java 5 (with the most recent updates) installed.

So, I went to the Java SE site and downloaded/installed Java 6.

Then, to test it out, I opened up LimeWire. And it actually opened up without a broken-up GUI!

I tried it out with WikiNews’s Java Audio Player, and it also performed better than before the installation.

I kid you not, ladies and gentlemen. JAVA IS NOW USABLE ON THE DESKTOP.

Now, for my next trick, I’m going to install and use that Java BitTorrent client.

*gasp!* That’s right, I will actually use Azureus to see if it runs faster on Java 6 than it did in Java 5 or previous.

Wish me luck!