Explicitly and without apology a marketing vehicle MaryMaryQuiteContrary

We're hours away from the bits going live for the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) 5.0 -- the Tiger release.

so exciting.

almost as good as when the Java logo got a makeover, and the steam started doing a sexy little swivel.

and speaking of sexy little swivels, there's a party in New York Thursday night to celebrate the release of Tiger.  just so happens that you -- that's right, you -- are invited.

you never know who might show up for this thing. hint, hint.

and do some swiveling.

so as the drum beat continues to grow louder in anticipation of this release, I'd like to share a little something written by Dr. Josh, celebrated author of Effective Java, which is as near and dear to the hearts of Java developers as Dianetics is to followers of Scientology. i'm going to keep milking that little one-liner until you guys tell me to stop as i think it's actually quite funny.

Dr. Josh -- he is a regular renaissance man, people.

Evidence: he's a poet:

The Tiger
By Dr. Joshua Bloch

Tiger, Tiger burning bright
Like a geek who works all night
What new-fangled bit or byte
Could ease the hacker's weary plight?

To the most despised cast
We'll bid a fond farewell at last
With generics' burning spear
The need for cast will disappear

While Iterators have their uses
They sometimes strangle us like nooses
With enhanced-for's deadly ray
Iterator's kept at bay

When from the collections ints are drawn
Wrapper classes make us mourn
When Tiger comes, we'll shed no tears
We'll autobox them in the ears

The int-enum will soon be gone
Like a foe we've known too long.
With type safe-enum's mighty power
Our foe will bother us no more

And from the constant interface
We shall inherit no disgrace
With static import at our side
Our joy will be unqualified

O joyless nights, o joyless days
Our programs cluttered with arrays
With varargs here, we needn't whine;
We'll simply put the args inline

As for noble metadata
I'll have to sing its praises later
Its uses are so numerous
To give their due, I'd miss the bus
 

Tiger, Tiger burning bright
Like a geek who works all night
What new-fangled bit or byte
Could ease the hacker's weary plight?

ok. real quick. first person to tell me what Dr. Josh based his poem on gets this prize.



post your responses to the comments section of this blog entry.

mary

p.s. put the args inline? that sounds a little painful.