Java’s Cover

Paul Graham’s essay Java’s Cover examines why Java seemed suspicious to him, framing it as a study of “hacker’s radar”—judging technology by external signs.

The Core Thesis

“I’m not writing here about Java…but about hacker’s radar.” Certain warning signs suggest problems without direct experience.

The Red Flags

Marketing & Promotion: Real standards like C and Unix don’t require aggressive promotion.

Design Philosophy: Java was designed to be accessible to C programmers—mimicking mass-market products. Languages created for their makers (C, Lisp) succeed; those designed for general audiences (COBOL, Ada) fail.

Ulterior Motives: Java served Sun’s strategic interest in competing with Microsoft.

Lack of Passion: “I’ve never heard anyone say that they loved Java.”

Forced Adoption: Users adopted Java due to market pressure, not voluntary enthusiasm.

Committee Design: Quality languages emerge from small teams.

Wrong Admirers: Java appealed to non-technical executives rather than respected innovators.

My Takeaway

When technology requires aggressive marketing and lacks passionate advocates, be suspicious. Great tools spread through word of mouth.

How do you judge technologies you haven’t used? I’d love to hear at persdre@gmail.com.