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Why I Like Java (2014)

blog.plover.com

151–152 of 152 posts

Re: Why I Like Java (2014)

#151
post #131

Java has a high bar for the amount of prerequisite experience it takes to write good code. In other words, it has too many pitfalls for beginners. It is a phenomenally poor choice of language for teaching beginners to code. On the other hand, a lack of beginner-friendliness could also be seen as a lack of effective static analysis. Of course, this is a very Java programmer point-of-view. Others: "you shouldn't need t…

> lack of beginner-friendliness could also be seen as a lack of effective static analysis Slightly confusing comment to me ... Java has on the one hand a relatively simplistic static typing system but on the other hand some of the best static analysis support that you can find (I don't think it's a coincidence; the relatively simple type system and lack of ways to hack around it facilitates the strength of the analys…

In hindsight, I understand your confusion. I agree with your comment.

Without static analysis tools like error-prone, findbugs, nullaway, checker framework, sonar, PMD, IDE-provided analysers, et cetera, it is easy to write problematic Java.

On the other hand, the Java ecosystem has an abundance of such tools available and almost everybody is using them. (Hence, "but I do have that")

Re: Why I Like Java (2014)

#152
I have written a good deal of Java as a professional Java developer for over 10 years. The core truth the article gets right is that Java is meant to be a language Enterprise developers can use and be reasonably sure other people can pick it up and work with it. Java is a defensible choice in that you can hire people that know Java, easily buy Java training, and have a lot of tools for Enterprise Java development that you can get (OSS or commercial) that will help your Java developers get Enterprise apps created.

Java, in many respects, is the COBOL replacement created in the 90s that will live on in the Enterprise for decades to come. Just as COBOL lives on.

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