97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know

Chapter 35. In the Language Wars, Java Holds Its Own

Jennifer Reif

We all pick our favorites and downplay other options (colors, cars, sports teams, and so on). Programming language choice is not exempt. Whether it’s the one we are most comfortable with or the one that got us a job, we cling to that choice.

Today, we will focus on Java. There are perfectly valid complaints and praises for this language. These are my experiences, and others may see things differently.

My History with Java

First, let’s see the lens through which I view this language.

My introduction to programming applications was in college using—wait for it—Java. Prior to that, I had a couple of intro classes using HTML, Alice, and Visual Basic. None of those was designed to dive into complex code structures.

So, Java was my first exposure to programming for enterprise environments and critical processes. I’ve since had experience with many other languages, but I still go back to Java.

Java’s Design and Background

Java was created in 1995 with a C-like syntax and following the WORA principle (write once, run anywhere). Its goal was to simplify complex programming required in C-family languages and achieve platform independence via the JVM.

I think knowing a language’s history helps put positives and negatives into context, as understanding the background shows what the creators sacrificed to reach other goals. ...