What does Java do?

What exactly does Java do? You know it is a programming language, right? What sort of programs are written in Java? Why do people learn it? We answer these questions, and many more you may have about Java, on this page.

What is Java programming?

The simple answer: when you write code in Java, you are doing Java programming. Since it is an Internet-friendly language, Java is used extensively for Internet programming, mobile app development, multi-tier gaming and online business applications.

Why was Java developed?

Before Java, programmers and developers mostly worked in C and C++. C++ is quite cryptic and hard to read. Sun Microsystems was developing many intelligent appliances back then, and they needed a simple language for writing system-level programs that could be embedded on microchips.

Interestingly, Java was originally designed for interactive TV. But it proved too advanced for the cable television industry at the time. Instead of writing code for set-top boxes, programmers soon discovered, to their great excitement, that it was the perfect language for Internet programming.

One of the first GUI web browsers, Netscape, shipped with Java support, and many of its components were written in Java. Programming and software development were catching on, and computers were becoming mainstream.

In the early nineties it was mostly businesses and enterprises that used computers, and a language was needed for writing cross-platform applications. What does that mean?

C++ is a very capable language, but it needs a compiler and is very architecture-specific. For example, a C++ program written for Windows won’t run on UNIX or macOS.

Java set out to change that. Hold on to this thought; we will come back to it. Another goal was simplicity. The original Java had only around 50 keywords.

The rest of its capabilities came from the thousands of libraries that were created later. It was a more human-like language: easier to learn, easier to program and easier to switch to from other languages.

Companies working on intelligent devices (programmable televisions, washing machines and air conditioners) needed programmers who could write machine-level code without learning the complexity of C and C++.

Java was a big step in that direction. James Gosling is credited with creating it. There are different stories about how it got its name. Originally the language was called Oak.

Some say the word oak represents strength and integrity. Others say that Gosling worked by a window with a massive oak tree just a few meters away.

Either way, the original name came from the oak tree. Later it turned out the name was already trademarked by Oak Technologies. Since many discussions happened over coffee in the company cafeteria, the name Java came up and stuck.

Some famous applications in Java

Java is one of the top 3 programming languages in the world, in the league of C++ and Python. Naturally, almost every major application has a Java version, even Minecraft.

In fact, Minecraft was originally written in Java and later adapted to other platforms including Windows and video game consoles. One of the most famous projects with a big chunk of Java in it is Android, the mobile OS installed on billions of devices.

That said, the core of Android is largely written in C. Still, programmers who want to develop mobile apps need a fair knowledge of Java.

Java became a natural favorite among programmers because it runs inside a virtual machine. You don’t need to compile your Java programs for individual machines. By the time mobile apps became popular, hundreds of thousands of programmers knew Java, and they preferred to keep using the language they already knew.

It was also easier to write mobile apps in Java because many phones came with Java ME. And remember, Java was initially developed for machine-level programming.

So, what are some famous applications and mobile apps written largely in Java? Here is a list:

• Spotify
• Google Docs and other Google applications
• Netflix
• LinkedIn
• Tinder
• Signal
• Google Earth
• Acrobat Reader
• Major parts of Twitter
• Uber
• Amazon
• Minecraft
• Wikipedia search
• Hadoop
• NetBeans and the Eclipse IDE
• IntelliJ IDEA
• Omni-Notes

These are some widely used applications that are available to the public. Most enterprise-level software is written in Java, and the vast majority of enterprise computers have Java installed one way or another.

Why is Java so popular?

This is a loaded question. You could ask it about any language. Why is PHP so popular? After all, most platforms you can upload to your server and install, such as WordPress and many shopping cart applications, are written in PHP.

Java is one of the older languages, so it got early traction and the adoption rate was high. People who wanted the power of C++ but disliked its cryptic syntax quickly started using Java.

It was also friendlier for machine-level work. But what was its main, distinctive strength?

Java is machine independent

What does that mean?

When you write programs in a language like C or C++, the compiler creates native code only for that particular machine. If you are working on Windows, you can create programs only for Windows (unless you have a tool that generates code for macOS or Linux).

For different machines, you need different builds. Java’s tagline is “write once, run anywhere”. The Java compiler produces bytecode. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is installed on each machine and runs in memory.

The JVM already understands the architecture of the platform it runs on, and it converts the bytecode into native machine code. This makes Java platform-independent.

So if someone asks “what does Java do?”, one of the best answers is that it lets you write code that runs on many machines. You don’t have to write separate code for each operating system.

This saves development and maintenance costs, which is one of the main reasons so many enterprise applications are written in Java. The language saves big corporations millions of dollars.

As mentioned above, Java is so widespread partly because it got an early advantage. It was easy to program in Java, so it caught on fast. Since then, thousands of applications at some of the biggest organizations in the world have been written in Java.

Usage

Many banks, retail businesses, insurance companies, large service companies, logistics companies, telecommunications companies and manufacturers use Java for their larger applications.

So, if you want to work at these organizations, you need to know Java. If a bank’s entire system is written in Java and you apply as a programmer, naturally you must know Java well.

As a result, most programming courses use Java as one of their main languages. Programmers worldwide vouch for its efficiency and longevity.

Code written 15 years ago still runs well on the latest machines because the JVM on those devices keeps getting updated. Improvements in modern machines automatically benefit Java programs, no matter when they were written.

Java is also an excellent server-side language. Many back-end projects for web apps are written in Java, as are big data projects and background modules for many Android applications.

Java is also free, more or less. You can download one of the freely available Java development kits and start building software applications, web apps and mobile apps.

For Android, Java remains a favorite among app developers even though many other languages and platforms are available.

For example, a growing number of developers use Kotlin to build mobile apps. Java was publicly launched in 1995 and later open-sourced. Oracle acquired it in 2010 when it bought Sun Microsystems.

Oracle now offers both free and paid versions of Java.

Should you learn Java programming?

Want to improve your job prospects as a programmer? Then you certainly should. You don’t need Java to be a successful programmer, but knowing it gives you an advantage.

It is one of the most widely used languages, so once you are proficient (that is, employable) you can get a job in almost any major industry. As mentioned above, most big organizations have their enterprise applications written in Java.

They constantly need Java programmers to upgrade those applications, add new features and fix bugs.

Even in the government sector, especially healthcare, education, insurance and defense, Java is used extensively. So if you want to work in government, learning Java can be a great advantage.

Many programmers pick Java as their first language because it is reasonably easy to learn. It has an English-like syntax, a small set of keywords, and the rest of its abilities come from thousands of libraries you can find online.

Want a career in mobile app development? There are many non-Java languages and toolkits, but Google’s Android API is built with Java.

So, to get the most out of Android development, it is better to be well acquainted with the language.

What about web applications?

Did you know that large parts of Google’s Gmail are written in Java? Many of Google’s online applications are built with Java and Python.

There are many Java development tools, such as Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA and NetBeans. Some are free, some are commercial. OpenJDK, for example, is a free and open-source Java development kit you can download and start using right away.

You can even write a solid Java application in a plain editor like Notepad++. And there is a huge community of Java developers constantly publishing libraries and code you can use freely.

Many programmers build full applications by combining these libraries. Java’s longevity is another reason to learn it.

If you want to know what Java does for your career: it gives you a dependable career option. Many organizations run applications built in Java, rewriting them in another language would be enormously expensive, and Java has strong backing from companies like Oracle and Google, so they will keep using it.

This means you can work as a Java programmer for decades, at multinational companies and government departments alike. And since Java is platform-independent, you’re not confined to Windows programs.

Since Java programs run on many machines, software you build can be sold and promoted across multiple environments, improving your career prospects in the process.

Many programmers say that once you have learned Java, you can learn almost any language.

Major Java programming features

Now we come to the meat of the Java language. What makes it so powerful? Why do hundreds of thousands of programmers vouch for it, when newer languages offer more features and friendlier syntax?

As mentioned above, one reason Java is so widely used is that major organizations adopted it early and now have little choice but to continue. But that’s beside the point.

Below are some features that make Java so powerful.

Java programming is object-oriented

What does that mean? C++ became powerful because, compared to C, it is object-oriented. There are 2 main styles of programming: procedural and object-oriented.

In procedural programming, you write functions that perform operations on data. In object-oriented programming, you create objects that encapsulate both data and the methods that manipulate it.

Since methods and data live together in their objects, programs have a clear structure. This gives your Java code “Don’t Repeat Yourself” capabilities: once a class is written, any programmer can use it without worrying about what’s inside.

You can create reusable applications with less code and shorter development time. What’s the difference between a class and an object? Here is a real-world example.

Car is a class. From it, different objects can be created, such as a Honda, a Tesla, a Mercedes or a Toyota. They all share the basic features of a car: a steering wheel, an engine, a body and seats for the driver and passengers.

Once a class is built, it is easy to create objects from it. An object gets all the features of its class automatically.

This is the basic strength of object-oriented programming.

Java is machine-independent

We have already discussed this. So, what does Java do? It runs on any machine.

Java has advanced garbage collection

This makes Java popular, but sometimes unpopular too. What is garbage collection? As a program runs, it creates many variables and memory allocations that occupy space on your computer or phone.

In some languages, you need to write code that frees these memory locations once the program no longer uses them.

They need to be freed so they become available to other programs. Java automatically releases memory once it determines the program no longer needs it.

In other languages you write separate code for this; in Java, garbage collection is built in.

Java can be multithreaded

This is what makes it ideal for web applications. Multithreading lets a single application run many tasks at the same time, for example serving many users at once.

How is that beneficial? Long-running or resource-hungry tasks can run in the background without freezing the rest of the application.

This way you can make better use of the available resources. What are the popular Java tools and environments? Being popular and widely used, Java has many tools for writing and developing programs.

Well-known Java tools and development kits include Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, NetBeans and OpenJDK. Git is also used extensively for managing and version-controlling large Java projects.

For web apps in Java, you can use frameworks such as Spring MVC alongside front-end frameworks like Angular. And as mentioned above, you can write serious Java code in a regular text editor.

Some quick pros and cons of Java programming

Java is one of the most popular programming languages, so it certainly has more pros than cons.

Some of the advantages of Java include:

• Object-oriented programming.
• Extensive documentation.
• Large online communities continuously sharing Java code.
• A state-of-the-art development kit.
• Machine independence: a Java program written for one machine runs on any machine with the Java runtime environment.
• Automatic garbage collection, so no extra code is needed for this essential task.
• A high-level language with simple syntax and a gentle learning curve.
• Great career prospects, because most large organizations use software built with Java.
• It set the standard for enterprise computing.
• A strong security model.
• It can run in a distributed environment.

Some of the disadvantages of Java include:

• Garbage collection can consume more resources than necessary.
• Performance can suffer because an extra layer, the virtual machine, is needed to run every Java program.
• It is often difficult to give Java programs a native look, because Java has its own GUI toolkit.
• Its code is simple compared to some languages, but it can be verbose.

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What does Java do? Does it make programming easier? In many ways, it does. Does it boost your career prospects? As you have read above, it definitely does. Does it help you write advanced applications?

It definitely does. Java is an all-encompassing language. From a simple desktop calculator to space exploration software, it can handle it all.