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Getting Started with Java

Getting Started with Java

Java

What is Java?

Java is a widely used object-oriented programming language and software platform that runs on billions of devices, including notebook computers, mobile devices, gaming consoles, medical devices and many others. The rules and syntax of Java are based on the C and C++ languages.

One major advantage of developing software with Java is its portability. Once you have written code for a Java program on a notebook computer, it is very easy to move the code to a mobile device. When the language was invented in 1991 by James Gosling of Sun Microsystems (later acquired by Oracle), the primary goal was to be able to "write once, run anywhere."

It's also important to understand that Java is much different from JavaScript. Javascript does not need to be compiled, while Java code does need to be compiled. Also, Javascript only runs on web browsers while Java can be run anywhere.

New and improved software development tools are coming to market at a remarkable pace, displacing incumbent products once thought to be indispensable. In light of this continual turnover, Java’s longevity is impressive; more than two decades after its creation, Java is still the most popular language for application software development—developers continue to choose it over languages such as Python, Ruby, PHP, Swift, C++, and others. As a result, Java remains an important requirement for competing in the job market.

History of Java

The birth of Java happened in 1991 when James Gosling and his team began work on creating the language at Sun Microsystems. Shortly after, the team switched their focus to developing the language for the newest niche market known as the World Wide Web. By 1995, Java was released to the public for use in various applications, from the internet to computer programming.

Java stood alone as a programming language because it handles code translation differently than other languages. Unlike other programming languages, it goes through two major steps before running in its environment. Most programming languages only translate one time, either by compiling the code or interpreting it. This difference made a significant impact on the rapid growth and popularity of the language.

Java began as a project for connecting systems, such as connecting office devices on a network and creating interactive television. However, the switch to using Java for the internet came on a heel-turn and led to Java taking the lead as the number one programming language for the interactive web or — web 2.0 as developers commonly refer to it in discussions.

JavaScript served the same purpose and, at first, was not very popular; however, as a marketing ploy to build on the popularity of Java, the language took the name JavaScript. This marketing ploy came after testing out several other names first, and the change to JavaScript helped push its popularity and growth.

With this new up-and-comer on the scene, Java applets slowly began to lose their hold on the interactive web. Finally, after many years, Oracle announced in 2016 that they planned to depreciate Java applets in their next release of Java (JRE 9). As a result, in 2019, support for Java applets ended, and Oracle excluded it from the release of JRE (11).

With this decision, the landscape for Java changed dramatically from one that focused primarily on the interactive web to other areas of interest. Of course, the language had already been in use elsewhere, but the discontinuation of Java applets meant that the language grew in popularity for other technologies and industries.

We have discussed Java’s history through the years and where it is today. Now let’s look at the current role it plays in today's technology and some of the industries that use it, and what that means for you.

Java is still very popular and has expanded its reach into several industries. Today Java is used for programming complex technologies from mobile applications to AI programming and more. For the rest of this section, we will dive into the various fields of technology that use Java as a programming language.

How Java works

Before exploring the reasons for Java’s enduring popularity, let’s review what Java is in more detail and its importance for enterprise application development.

Java is a technology consisting of both a programming language and a software platform. To create an application using Java, you need to download the Java Development Kit (JDK), which is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You write the program in the Java programming language, then a compiler turns the program into Java bytecode—the instruction set for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that is a part of the Java runtime environment (JRE). Java bytecode runs without modification on any system that supports JVMs, allowing your Java code to be run anywhere.

The Java software platform consists of the JVM, the Java API, and a complete development environment. The JVM parses and runs (interprets) the Java bytecode. The Java API consists of an extensive set of libraries including basic objects, networking and security functions; Extensible Markup Language (XML) generation; and web services. Taken together, the Java language and the Java software platform create a powerful, proven technology for enterprise software development.

Why Java matters

If you are an enterprise application developer, you already know what Java is, and it’s likely that your organization already has thousands, even millions, of lines of production code written in Java. You will likely need some level of Java expertise to allow you to troubleshoot, maintain, and upgrade your existing codebase.

However, it would be a mistake to view Java only in terms of legacy applications. The Java language forms the heart of the Android operating system, which powers by far the largest share of the world’s smartphones. Java is also among the most popular languages for machine learning and data science applications. Its robustness, ease of use, cross-platform capabilities and security make Java the language of choice for internet solutions in many enterprise shops.

In particular, Java technology is an ideal framework for developing web applications, the foundation for a digital business in any industry. Java application servers are web containers for Java components, XML, and web services, which interact with databases and provide dynamic web content. Java application servers form a stable deployment environment for enterprise applications with capabilities such as transaction management, security, clustering, performance, availability, connectivity, and scalability.

Technical benefits

When it comes to choosing a programming language and environment for your next enterprise application, there are solid technical reasons to consider Java, including interoperability, scalability, and adaptability.

The core philosophy behind its creation—interoperability across disparate devices—remains the strongest argument for favoring Java for new enterprise applications. Java’s object-oriented architecture allows you to create modular programs and reusable code, shortening development cycles and extending the longevity of enterprise applications.

Platform scalability is a key attribute of Java. With Java, you can use one single system across a broad range of use cases. Existing desktop applications can be easily adapted to run on smaller devices that have limited resources. You can also migrate applications from mobile to desktop, developing business apps for the Android platform and then integrating them into your current desktop software, bypassing lengthy and expensive development cycles.

Java also wins points with strategic planners for its ability to adapt to new use cases. For example, Java is widely considered to be an ideal platform for the Internet of Things (IoT). The typical IoT application interconnects a large number of disparate devices, a task that is greatly simplified by the fact that billions of devices run Java. Furthermore, Java’s extensive ecosystem of developers is constantly developing and sharing new libraries with functionality specifically targeted at IoT application development.

Business benefits

The technical arguments for Java are compelling, but the business reasons to choose Java are equally strong: a large talent pool, a short learning curve, and a wide range of integrated development environments (IDEs).

As more companies use connected devices, machine learning algorithms, and cloud solutions, the demand for skilled developers continues to grow. Many analysts foresee a scarcity of senior-level programmers in the near future, making it difficult to staff new software initiatives. Demand for mobile app developers could soon easily exceed the available supply.

The large talent pool of Java developers constitutes a compelling reason to base major software initiatives on Java. When staffing managers post job openings for Java developers, they can expect to receive many qualified resumes and fill those positions relatively quickly. Managers can also draw on contract resources to supplement in-house staff for specific tasks without adding headcount.

In addition to senior-level developers, major software initiatives also require large numbers of junior contributors. While Java remains a popular introductory programming language in university computer science curriculums, many graduates lack the proficiency to be productive on day one. Java is easier to learn and master than many other programming languages, leading to a shorter learning curve and faster ramp-up to productivity. Java’s extensive online community of developer forums, tutorials, and user groups helps beginners get up to speed rapidly and provides seasoned programmers with effective, proven problem-solving tools.

In the area of programming tools, Java offers a range of IDEs. Experienced Java developers can quickly ramp up on a new environment, which frees development managers to choose the IDE that best fits the type of project, budget, development methodology and programmer skill level. Many seasoned Java programmers think of NetBeans, Eclipse, and IntelliJ IDEA as the top three IDEs for enterprise application development. But there are cases where a more lightweight IDE such as DrJava, BlueJ, JCreator, or Eclipse Che is the best choice.

What is Java used for?

Mobile Application Development Artificial Intelligence Big Data Software Development Blockchain Mobile Development Internet of Things Web Development Mobile Application Development Mobile application development has grown significantly since the introduction of smartphones. Today, millions of mobile applications exist across the three most popular smartphone application stores.

Due to its nature, the Java language is an excellent choice for building complex applications with multiple interfaces. It also works well as a programming language for mobile applications because it works great for connecting different devices.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is a type of software designed to handle complexly automated calculations. AI software is used in various industries such as credit companies, banking, Amazon’s Echo, and other smart devices — just to name a few.

Big Data

Big data is an industry that works with tracking and reporting data for various needs. Many companies use data analytics to track users, contacts, products, sales, and more. Java also makes it easy to create visualizations to represent this data in a way that is easy to understand and digest.

The usefulness of this benefit makes it an excellent choice for big data as it helps to simplify the process of working with large amounts of data.

Software Development

Because Java is flexible enough to work in many different operating environments — according to the WORA philosophy — it is an excellent choice for developing software. In addition, by writing the code once and running the software anywhere, developers can simultaneously create software for several systems.

Because of the compile and interpret nature, any software written in Java can be quickly run on any device with a Java Virtual Machine installed on it. This ability is a significant reason why Java is still prevalent in multiple industries and why you can rest assured that Java is here to stay.

Blockchain Mobile Development

Blockchain sciences have grown in popularity over the years, thanks largely to the emergence of cryptocurrencies. But blockchain technology is not used exclusively for cryptocurrencies; in fact, its first proposed use was to track timestamps on scientific papers.

The benefit of this technology was that through cryptography, the timestamps — and related information — on research papers were guaranteed to be accurate. Since its popularity boom, blockchain technology can now be found everywhere, including mobile phones. This means that Java is a perfect fit for mobile blockchain sciences, much like mobile application development.

Internet of Things

Internet of things, a term that feels ambiguous at the very least, describes the connection of physical devices that need to communicate and share data. The need for devices to communicate has grown and been accomplished in various ways. An example of this that underlines the necessity of device connection is airplanes and traffic controllers.

Thankfully the initial intent of creating Java as a programming language was to connect devices in this exact way, making it perfect for the job.

Web Development

It is essential to keep in mind that over the years, while a lot has changed, Java has never stopped being a staple in the web development industry. It is still commonly used in the web development industry for database management and other uses.

Developers still use Java to create and add interactivity to web pages and thus improve the user experience considerably.

Some Code Snippets

Components of a Snippet

Each snippet contains the following four components:

Name of the snippet: Snippet name make it unique from different snippets. Prefix: The keyword which generates current snippets in the program. Body: It represents the actual code (logic) that we bind into snippets contained in the body. Description:Information about the snippet contains in a snippet. Format of the Snippet The snippet of particular code implemented in the java.json file that uses JSON format.

Format of the Snippet The snippet of particular code implemented in the java.json file that uses JSON format.


"Name_of_the_snippet ":  
{                     
"prefix": "prefix_of_the_snippet",        
"body": [  
        // Actual code of the snippet  
        ],  
"description": "description_about_the_snippet"  
}

Creating Snippets in Java

There are the following two steps involved in creating a snippet of Java code.

Create a Java class for which you want to create a snippet. Create a snippet of this Java class. Create a .java file. In our case, we have created a file in which we have calculated factorial.

FactorialExample.java


public class FactorialExample  
{    
static int factorial(int n)  
{      
if (n == 0)      
return 1;      
else      
return(n * factorial(n-1));      
}      
public static void main(String args[])  
{    
int i,fact=1;    
int number=4;//It is the number to calculate factorial      
fact = factorial(number);     
System.out.println("Factorial of "+number+" is: "+fact);      
}    
}

Output:

Factorial of 4 is: 24

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