The Java language was created in 1995, and for 22 years of its existence, it has won the hearts of millions of programmers. How did he do it? Why did not a single worthy replacement appear during this time? To understand this, let's talk about the features of the Java language.
The benefits of java development are numerous. Sun Microsystems has laid down 5 paradigms for potential success with the release of the language:
- simplicity, object orientation and clarity;
- reliability and safety;
- portability and platform independence;
- high performance;
- interpretability, flow and dynamism.
Simplicity
The language syntax was inherited from C ++. Today, against the background of Python, Groove or Go, it can hardly be called simple, but then the evolutionary form allowed to attract the attention of C developers.This form of construction does not increase the typing speed, but it is easy to read, understand and reproduce.
Reliability
Reliability is among the advantages of the java programming language. It is ensured by two principles:OOP. The inheritance hierarchy increases the readability of your code and reduces the number of unforced errors. Strong typing. The developer has to do more work, but the data is interpreted unambiguously.
In addition, originally in Java, it was assumed that direct memory access was prohibited, which would also increase reliability. But the developers left several loopholes, such as the sun. misc.Unsafe backdoor, that bypasses this ban.
Security
It’s one of the most important benefits of the java programming language. In addition to preserving the general form of constructs, Java has formally lost two potential dangers compared to C ++: pointers and multiple inheritances. In fact, both functions are preserved, but they are presented in a different form: instead of pointers, values are used, and interfaces, not classes, participate in multiple inheritances. Nevertheless, this feature of java programming almost eliminates the possible damage from the developer's carelessness.Convenience
Literally, the Java concept from Dataxdev sounds like: "Write once, run anywhere". That is, the executability of the code does not depend on the operating system used or the installed software. This is achieved by translating into bytecode by the JVM virtual machine.
This feature of java on android came in handy. The variety of manufacturers, phone models, characteristics - all this could negatively affect the operation of applications, if not for the existence of such a universal tool.
Performance
Java feature associated with translation to bytecode has a positive effect on the performance of end products. In terms of execution speed, similar programs in java are 1.5-2 times inferior to programs in C / C ++, while they are superior to JavaScript, Ruby, Python.Developed ecosystem
For 22 years of its life, the language has acquired dozens of IDEs and frameworks, hundreds of communities and forums, thousands of libraries and plugins. All this favourably affects the threshold of entering the profession, the relevance and quality of products produced with the help of java.Of course, every popular programming language is unique, each has its own disadvantages and advantages. Java features are not revolutionary, they are minor, but fundamental at the same time. This is what separates good language from the best.