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Ask HN: Are there any startups using Java?

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Ask HN: Are there any startups using Java?

#1

Post by BayAreaSmayArea »

I don't have enough insight into the larger startup world, but had this discussion with some coworkers and was curious of the HN opinion.

Are there any startups using Java, not the JVM, today? Say any in the last year or two of YC classes?

If so, and you're at one of the startups, do you feel it has affected your ability to bring in development talent for the better or worse?

Re: Ask HN: Are there any startups using Java?

#2

Post by kdrakon »

I realise I'm not answering this question directly (although I am using Scala and Java 8 in my own startup project), I thought it might be applicable to leave these here:

http://www.wired.com/2013/09/the-second-coming-of-java/

http://www.drdobbs.com/jvm/if-java-is-dying-it-sure-looks-aw...

Re: Ask HN: Are there any startups using Java?

#3

Post by BayAreaSmayArea »

kdrakon wrote: post #2

I realise I'm not answering this question directly (although I am using Scala and Java 8 in my own startup project), I thought it might be applicable to leave these here: http://www.wired.com/2013/09/the-second-coming-of-java/ http://www.drdobbs.com/jvm/if-java-is-dying-it-sure-looks-aw...

Hard to call Twitter a startup :), but yeah by the articles own admission they're using mostly Scala with some Java.

Can you elaborate a bit on why you're using Java8 in your startup project?

Re: Ask HN: Are there any startups using Java?

#5

Post by kdrakon »

BayAreaSmayArea wrote: post #3
kdrakon wrote: post #2

I realise I'm not answering this question directly (although I am using Scala and Java 8 in my own startup project), I thought it might be applicable to leave these here: http://www.wired.com/2013/09/the-second-coming-of-java/ http://www.drdobbs.com/jvm/if-java-is-dying-it-sure-looks-aw...

Hard to call Twitter a startup :), but yeah by the articles own admission they're using mostly Scala with some Java. Can you elaborate a bit on why you're using Java8 in your startup project?

Actually, I'm mainly using Scala now with the Java 8 JVM. Regardless though, the reason for either Java 8 or Scala for my current project would be because of what I was building. I am a polyglot and will in most cases assess the languages, tools, libraries, etc. that will get the job done well and fast. In my particular case, I primarily build backend/platform applications. Java/Scala, and more importantly, the tools and libraries that come along with them (especially since for the most part, they are interchangeable, but more so Java-to-Scala), have proven to help me get stuff like high throughput REST APIs, large scale data processing tasks (i.e. batch, scheduled), and pretty much non-front facing web applications running. That's probably the gist of what I'm doing at my current startup. I haven't yet used Java in the frontend (e.g. Play, JSF, etc.) and understand that they work, but prefer server scripting, and more recently, Javascript, for that kind of stuff.

What it comes down to is: you just got to find what works for you and the thing you're trying to do. Honestly, never ask just one developer how he or she would do something. Ask a varying bunch with different backgrounds. If they happen to intersect in opinions, that might be a good place to start. As for finding developers; I haven't had to do that because I work within a small group (I also have a day job doing Java, but it isn't a startup). But I'll tell you this, there has got to be a demand for JVM developers, because recruiters, including those from startups, seem to like doing LinkedIn queries for JVM-related buzzwords. I can't tell you if it's working for them though, but it at least shows other startups are using Java and the JVM.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any startups using Java?

#6

Post by Zigurd »

First, almost all Android apps are coded in Java. But this is Java for heap sizes in the 10s of MB. Java with a component model that aggressively claws-back memory. Java with tasks that can wake up with a new PID. Java with RPCs you actually would use. Java with a rich UX stack. Server Java brains have evolved in a different direction.

Secondly, Google App Engine seems like a huge convenience for stuff that needs to scale and teams that don't have time to spend on the scaling problem. I don't hear much about it. I wonder why.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any startups using Java?

#7

Post by sjg007 »

Zigurd wrote: post #6

First, almost all Android apps are coded in Java. But this is Java for heap sizes in the 10s of MB. Java with a component model that aggressively claws-back memory. Java with tasks that can wake up with a new PID. Java with RPCs you actually would use. Java with a rich UX stack. Server Java brains have evolved in a different direction. Secondly, Google App Engine seems like a huge convenience for stuff that needs to…

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