As of 2020, Java has officially been around for 25 years. This is basically 25 million years in the world of technology and programming. However, although there are many new languages in today’s world of website and software development, Java continually ranks as one of the top choices for programming languages.
With all of these new options and continual releases of new languages, how is Java still a go-to option for modern developers? Why does it continue to have such a reputation and staying power in the world of tech?
It may be a bit of a joke in the development community, but Java has claimed for years that nearly 3 billion devices currently run on this programming language. Old, however, doesn’t always mean obsolete or outdated. Java developers and Java development companies (such as BairesDev) continue to be as busy and successful as ever before. After all, Java ranked as number one in 2019 in a study conducted by CodingDojo and took the top spot in the TIOBE Index for February of 2020.
Why is Java Still Relevant?
There are many reasons why Java continues to rank as a favorite and leader in the world to development and technology – and why it’s still a programming language worth learning now and in the future.
– To put it simply, Java allows developers to complete nearly every task and do almost everything required in the world of modern computing. It’s definitely not a coincidence that it has been one of the top programming languages in the world for years. It has also consistently ranked among the most in-demand languages since its inception.
For example, the JavaFX platform provides a basis to build out complete web applications. The development of complete web applications, no matter for intranet or internet, is possible by using Java along with the JakartaEE specification. It’s also a go-to choice by the OpenJFX community as a modern solution for developing graphical interfaces.
– Many of the world’s leading service providers in cloud computing all support Java for application development as well. This includes the biggest names in tech, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. It’s also widely used in the rather new field of the Internet of Things. With the expansion of 5G networks, the IoT will grow even larger thus adding even more Java use cases. It has also become a favorite in the world of data science and machine learning.
– Java is backward compatible. This means that code will still work on newer versions of the language even if they’re written for an older version without needing edits or changes. Developers know that there isn’t really a bigger headache out there than having to alter code that is currently working so that it’ll work on a new version of a language. This factor alone makes Java one of the developers’ favorite tools.
– Although it has many capabilities and is a very diverse language, Java is actually relatively easy to learn and master for developers of all skill levels. As a high-level, object-oriented programming language, Java comes complete with many automated processes that are easy for devs to use. For example, the built-in garbage collection feature frees up memory and doesn’t require triggering.
The syntax of the language is also as readable and writable as English, which makes it much easier to understand and write when compared to the much more complicated languages on the market. Should devs need some support, there are many forums, tutorials, and communities available online for helpful problem-solving tips.
– Many of today’s huge enterprises and companies, such as Twitter, Salesforce, Spotify, eBay, Facebook, and many others, all run with Java as the basis of their platforms due to its incredible scalability. Java’s reliability, performance, and scalability cause it to match and exceed the capabilities of native code. The language and platform support billions of lines of code across some of the most used and largest companies of today. It’s also in active use by local, state, and federal government projects in the United States, as well as banking institutions.
– Java has the ability to continue to evolve. The brilliance behind the platform is its ability to support several languages. It also continues to act as a pioneer in the field thanks to its incredible flexibility. While it acts as a functional programming language, Java simultaneously incorporates direct support for cloud computing and enlists its embedded-device roots.
Java has already been around for over 25 years, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down as one of the most popular and useful programming languages available for developers. The reasons, as you can see, are quite varied, and ensure that Java’s popularity won’t diminish any time soon.
