Java is a high-level, platform-independent, object-oriented programming language originally developed by Sun Microsystems. Java is currently owned by Oracle, which purchased Sun in 2010.

learn more… | top users | synonyms

402
votes
17answers
27k views

Where did the notion of “one return only” come from?

I often talk to Java programmers who say "Don't put multiple return statements in the same method." When I ask them to tell me the reasons why, all I get is "The coding standard says so." or "It's ...
216
votes
39answers
118k views

Why isn't Java used for modern web application development? [closed]

As a professional Java programmer, I've been trying to understand - why the hate toward Java for modern web applications? I've noticed a trend that out of modern day web startups, a relatively small ...
193
votes
43answers
12k views

My Dad is impatient with the pace of my learning to program. What do I do? [closed]

So my Dad bought me 5 books on programming (C++, Java, PHP, Javascript, Android) about a month ago. He's an architect and he knows NOTHING about programming. He bought me them because I told him ...
131
votes
10answers
11k views

Mono is frequently used to say “Yes, .NET is cross-platform”. How valid is that claim?

In What would you choose for your project between .NET and Java at this point in time? I say that I would consider the "Will you always deploy to Windows?" the single most important (EDIT: technical) ...
86
votes
11answers
10k views

Should we avoid object creation in Java?

I was told by a colleague that in Java object creation is the most expensive operation you could perform. So I can only conclude to create as few objects as possible. This seems somewhat to defeat ...
83
votes
19answers
15k views

If immutable objects are good, why do people keep creating mutable objects?

If immutable objects¹ are good, simple and offer benefits in concurrent programming why do programmers keep creating mutable objects²? I have four years of experience in Java programming and as I see ...
78
votes
7answers
791 views

How to reconcile my support of open-source software and need to feed and house myself?

I have a bit of a dilemma and wanted to get some other developers' opinions on it and maybe some guidance. So I have created a 2D game for Android from the ground up, learning and re factoring as I ...
76
votes
11answers
17k views

What backs up the claim that C++ can be faster than a JVM or CLR with JIT? [closed]

A reoccurring theme on SE I've noticed in many questions is the ongoing argument that C++ is faster and/or more efficient than higher level languages like Java. The counter-argument is that modern JVM ...
73
votes
15answers
5k 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 ...
71
votes
18answers
5k views

Is it poor programming practice to pass parameters as Objects? [duplicate]

So, we've got a guy who likes to write methods that take Objects as parameters, so they can be 'very flexible.' Then, internally, he either does direct casting, reflection or method overloading to ...
65
votes
16answers
7k 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
17answers
5k views

Is imposing the same code format for all developers a good idea?

We are considering to impose a single standard code format in our project (auto format with save actions in Eclipse). The reason is that currently there is a big difference in the code formats used by ...
64
votes
6answers
5k 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 ...
61
votes
10answers
3k views

Never use Strings in Java?

I stumbled upon a blog entry discouraging the use of Strings in Java for making your code to lack semantics, suggesting that you should use thin wrapper classes instead. This is the before and after ...
55
votes
20answers
18k views

Why do people still say Java is slow? [closed]

For a long time in SO and in other places Java has the reputation of being slow. From jokes to many comments in questions and answers, people still believe Java is slow based solely on experience with ...

15 30 50 per page