I recently came across a very interesting talk from Pavlo Baron entitled What can be done with Java but should better be done with Erlang. Pavlo discusses several scenarios in which Erlang should be preferred over a Java-based solution. He does not succumb to simple Java bashing, but gives adequate reasons why the Erlang-based pendant to a Java solution is advantageous. And since we talk about adequacy every now and then when it comes to software engineering, I can highly recommend to follow the above link and watch the talk for yourself. Pavlo's comparison between Erlang and Java is - amongst others - based on several features of both languages and their respective runtimes. I have selected some of those points and like to share my thoughts on them.

... go to www.tryerlang.org. The site hosts an interactive tutorial which introduces basic language concepts and gives a good overview in general.

I recently found out about a game called Minecraft. It is a game that puts the player in a block-based world which can be altered by removing or placing blocks as appropriate. The player can build almost anything he or she desires. The game design is quite simplistic, but nonetheless immersive and I have to admit that I got quite addicted to it. Still, I'm more of the collaborative player, so I installed a Minecraft server instance on a remote host. The setup procedure is not very complicated if you know a bit about Linux systems. Still, I will go through each of these steps, in case a fellow reader with none or less Linux server experience wants to setup a server too. It shouldn't be hard to follow these instructions, even if you are inexperienced with Linux. The instructions apply to modified servers, like bukkit, as well.