Java is one of the most popular and widely used programming languages and platforms because it is fast, reliable, versatile, secure and easy to learn. It allows software developers to write the code for applications in English(instead of numeric codes) making it easier to read and written by humans. Later the English instructions are translated into numerical codes automatically which computers can understand and execute.
Java was developed by James Gosling, who is also known as the father of Java, in 1995 as part of the Green Team at Sun Microsystems.
In 1991 this project was initiated to develop a language for digital devices such as; set-top boxes and televisions etc. However, it was too advanced a technology for the digital cable television industry at the time and was best suited for internet programming.
Initially, James Gosling named it “Greentalk” which was later changed to “Oak”(because this tree is a symbol of strength in many countries like US, France, Romania, Germany etc.) and finally it was renamed to “Java” as Oak was already trademarked by Oak Technologies.
Java is an island in Indonesia where the first coffee was produced(a kind of espresso bean) hence called Java coffee. Java name was chosen by James Gosling while having a cup of coffee nearby his office.
Now let me take you through a very interesting story of how Java got its name and why there’s coffee in its logo
Uses and Advantages of Java(language That Powers Android, Gmail & Mars Rover)
Java has been around for now over 26 years it is used by many companies in tech, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, education, government, defence and more. It is used in worlds top websites like Facebook, Google, eBay and Amazon, as well as for;
- Making wide range of mobile application
- Scientific computing application
- Creating enterprise software
- Developing android apps
- Stock market algorithms
- Game development
- Big data analytics
- Machine learning
Also, Java powers Android, which is the most widely used operating system on earth, plus, its the brains behind Gmail and even the Curiosity Rover on Mars
On top of that it has other advantages like it’s;
Easy to Learn
Java teaches novice coders how to think like a programmer making it relatively easy to learn other programming languages such as C, C++, Python and more. It is used for Internet of Things, in big data technologies, scientific applications
Multithreaded
It means Java allows users to write programs that perform many functions simultaneously. and because users can execute multiplethreads simultaneously, it saves memory and time resulting in maximum utilisation of the CPU.
Secure
Whenever you download a program or app there’s a risk because the code you are downloading might contain a virus and that malicious code can cause damage as it has gained unauthorised access to system resources.
So, in simple words, Java achieves its protection by confining a Java program to the Java execution environment thus making it inaccessible to other parts of the system.
Simple and Intuitive
Suppose you think of programming languages as a bag of Lego bricks, then for example C++ would have 250 different types of bricks, and Java would “only” have 100 different types of bricks.
And in that sense, Java is simpler because it uses a simpler syntax
However, you can build equally complicated structures from those 100 types of bricks with no limit on how complicated the resulting program can be.
Java is Here to Stay
From 2017 to 2020, Java held as the #1 language for job demand in both the US and Europe. One of the most important things about Java is that it can coexist with other languages. Plus, the WORA(Write Once and Run Anywhere) feature makes it an ideal programming language.
With 20+ years of proven track record and an ever expanding breath and depth of its use, Java will undoubtedly remain in demand for the generations to come because its a go-to language and is presently used by;
- 9 million existing developers worldwide
- 97% of enterprise computers
- 89% of Computers in US
- 3 billion mobile phones
- 125 million TV devices
Alright, enough of the technical jargon now it’s popcorn time
It is such an intrinsic part of our daily lives, that a video spoof(called: Javapocalypse) was filmed to show what the world would be without Java if it was suddenly removed from our lives one day.
Java Is Versatile and Flexible language
Java is a language designed to work on any operating system Windows, Mac or even Android. So, during the pandemic this flexibility helped people who were forced to work from home, by using their own devices: a combination of laptops, tables and mobile phones in place of their companies systems and equipments
Moreover, codes written in Java can seamlessly move from one device to another which means that once a developer writes code, they can port it to another system on almost any computing device.
Java is In-demand language
Learning a versatile language like Java opens the doors to jobs in all fields of the booming tech economy. Java developers are paid on average $93,000 across the US, even the entry level jobs see salaries upwards $80,000, which is 54% higher than the national median income.
In addition to the huge demand for Java developers, there is also an increasing demand for Android developers, which use Java as the base language for native Android apps because mobile app downloads have been steadily increasing. In 2020 there were around 150 billion app downloads in total and it is set to rise to nearly 184 billion.
This itself is a good sign for Java developers because as the number of downloads increases, so does the number of apps.
Below is the analysis of how often language tutorials are searched on Google and according to PYPL(Popularity of Programming Language Index) the more a language tutorial is searched, the more popular that language is supposed to be.
Conclusion
Java is among the top 3 most popular languages in the software world today and you can find its applications in almost every field with a large support network and diverse set of libraries. It’s a future-proof and in-demand skill that’s needed in a variety of fields.
