Tagged Questions
70
votes
15answers
4k views
Why do memory-managed languages retain the `new` keyword? [closed]
The new keyword in languages like Java, Javascript, and C# creates a new instance of a class.
This syntax seems to have been inherited from C++, where new is used specifically to allocate a new ...
65
votes
16answers
6k views
Do the young minds need to learn the pointer concepts?
Why did the C master Dennis Ritchie introduce pointers in C? And why did the other programming languages like VB.NET or Java or C# eliminate them? I have found some points in Google, and I want to ...
64
votes
6answers
4k views
What's the difference between Scala and Red Hat's Ceylon language?
Red Hat's Ceylon language has some interesting improvements over Java:
The overall vision: learn from Java's mistakes, keep the good, ditch the bad
The focus on readability and ease of learning/use
...
50
votes
11answers
5k views
A modern review of Java
I've been programming for a few years and I began in Java, and in my time I've found many different sources claiming Java to be an inferior language in some way or another. I'm well aware that each ...
36
votes
5answers
3k views
Why didn't == operator string value comparison make it to Java?
Every competent Java programmer knows that you need to use String.equals() to compare a string, rather than == because == checks for reference equality.
When I'm dealing with strings, most of the ...
35
votes
16answers
16k views
What can I do with programming?
I'm a student studying biochemistry, and I've been learning some programming because I like it and it seems like the more one knows about computers the better. I've learned a good deal of python and ...
34
votes
25answers
13k views
Will Java still be relevant in 5 years? [closed]
Will Java have the same importance it had in the past, or it will be less relevant than nowadays?
33
votes
8answers
2k views
Is memory management in programming becoming an irrelevant concern?
Background
I revisited an old (but great) site I had not been to for ages - the Alioth Language Shootout (http://benchmarksgame.alioth.debian.org/).
I started out programming in C/C++ several years ...
32
votes
11answers
2k views
What are the factors that have made Java a success as a programming language in enterprise computing?
What are the factors that have made Java a success as a programming language in enterprise computing?
32
votes
12answers
17k views
For what reasons should I choose C# over Java and C++?
C# seems to be popular these days. I heard that syntactically it is almost the same as Java. Java and C++ have existed for a longer time. For what reasons should I choose C# over Java and C++?
23
votes
17answers
3k views
How can I feel more confident about my programming skills? [closed]
Programming isn't alien to me. I first starting doing markup (HTML, now please don't laugh at me) when I was 12 and a little bit of BASIC when I was 13 (I knew much about Flowcharts, Pseudocodes at ...
19
votes
5answers
3k views
Is programming in Python faster than in C, C++ or Java?
There's a widespread belief among programmers that the more dynamic and loosely typed the language, the more productive the programmer will be in it. Guido van Rossum wrote about programming ...
18
votes
10answers
6k views
What do Java developers think of Scala? [closed]
I've noted that IDE support is nowhere near as good, but the language itself supports functional programming idioms much more cleanly.
18
votes
8answers
2k views
Why is String immutable in Java?
I couldn't understand the reason of it. I always use String class like other developers, but when I modify the value of it, I need to create new instance of String.
What might be the reason of ...
16
votes
6answers
3k views
Programming language usage at Google
I have heard Google uses Python, Java and C++. But what I don't know is how is each of those programming language is used. I mean what is Python, Java and C++ is used for at Google. Why would they ...
16
votes
14answers
4k views
Java devs: why not use Groovy? [closed]
OK, so there are quite a few people using Java these days. But as the language nears two decades of age, it isn't exactly the coolest option out there. Many of us are excited about dynamic languages ...
12
votes
7answers
4k views
Python productivity VS Java Productivity
Over on SO I came across a question regarding which platform, Java or Python is best for developing on Google AppEngine. Many people were boasting of the increased productivity gained from using ...
11
votes
6answers
3k views
Is Flash really superior to Java applets? [closed]
I'm still a student, without much real life experience in programming. I've never written anything bigger than ~5k lines of code. I've written code in both Flash and Java, and I just can't understand ...
11
votes
7answers
6k views
Is Java (still) the cross platform language of choice? [closed]
When I started using Java in the nineties, it was all "Write once, run anywhere!" from day one. That was probably all true then and I was a part of the choir as well.
I am not sure what to think ...
11
votes
4answers
586 views
Why does Java not do type inference?
I have always wondered why Java does not do type inference given that the language is what it is, and its VM is very mature. Google's Go is an example of a language with excellent type inference and ...
11
votes
5answers
474 views
Analyzing a programming language
In SICP, the authors state (Section 1.1) that there are three basic "mechanisms" of programming languages:
primitive expressions, which represent the simplest entities the language is concerned ...
11
votes
2answers
837 views
Advantages and disadvantages of structuring all code via classes and compiling to classes (like Java)
Edit: my language allows for multiple inheritance, unlike Java.
I've started designing and developing my own programming language for educational, recreational, and potentially useful purposes.
At ...
9
votes
12answers
850 views
Which Programming Languages Support the Following Features?
My personal programming background is mainly in Java, with a little bit of Ruby, a tiny bit of Scheme, and most recently, due to some iOS development, Objective-C.
In my move from Java to Objective-C ...
9
votes
5answers
596 views
Does Java promote a separation between class definitions and implementations, as is C++?
I have a homework assignment and I need to evaluate which approach is better according to GRASP "Protected Variation". I found a question on Stack Overflow about the separation of header and code ...
9
votes
6answers
597 views
Is there an infinite amount of knowledge in a programming language?
I can program in Java, C#, C, Scala, and Javascript fluently. I'm comfortable with Objective-C, but I don't remember the conventions used for memory management. I can read Python and Ruby and I've ...
9
votes
8answers
478 views
Past If statements Arrays, loops… Now what?
I gave up on programming a little over a year ago when I kept hitting this wall. I am revisiting the subject because I want to create basic Android application. But I feel that my limited knowledge ...
8
votes
4answers
628 views
Is there any reason lazy initialization couldn't be built into Java?
Since I'm working on a server with absolutely no non-persisted state for users, every User-related object we have is rolled out on every request.
Consequently I often find myself doing lazy ...
8
votes
4answers
1k views
What are the advantages of Ceylon over Java?
Looking for the recent and powerful upcoming programming languages over net, I came across Ceylon. I dropped in at ceylon-lang.org and it says:
Ceylon is deeply influenced by Java. You see, we're ...
8
votes
4answers
474 views
What can and can't the Garbage Collector do?
Will the GC take care of all memory management issues (memory leaks) ?
Is there any case where you don't want the GC to take control of some part of your code ?
7
votes
8answers
1k views
Python : how can I impress people coming from Ruby/Java?
I am preparing a presentation about Python for my company, and would like to show Python's awesomeness to developers using Java or Ruby ! I guess it will be very simple to write shorter and cleaner ...
