What is Java?

When it comes to programming, there are many different programming languages that are used for different purposes. Many people in this world, always have their eyes on the trend, and on the most popular and most widely used programming languages in this world.

One such very widely used, and very popular programming language is Java. If you are quite curious about what is Java, or you want to learn Java and want a quick introduction to Java programming language, we have got you covered. Here, we are going to have a brief discussion about what is Java Programming language.

What is Java?

Java is a general-purpose, high-level, object-oriented, platform-independent programming language. You might have heard about the Object Oriented programming approach, which is a very widely used approach in programming for problem-solving, and Java follows the OOP(Object Oriented Programming) approach.

Java programming language was developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems. The development of this language started in the early ’90s, and the first version was released in 1996. Now, Java Programming language is owned by Oracle. Java is a very widely used programming language and platform, for different purposes, like, as –

• Mobile Application development
• Desktop GUI Application development
• Web Application Development
• Game Development
• Web Servers
  And much much more …

What makes Java special? (Features of Java Programming Language)

There are many other programming languages in this world, which can be used for different purposes, then one simple question can be ‘why Java is so popular?’ What is so special about it? Well, there are many points, that can define why Java is so popular and what is so special about this programming language. The thing is that Java has many useful features, many different applications, software, etc. are built on Java, and it is backed by a massive community, and a lot of resources and documentation are there for someone to learn and explore the programming language.

Let’s have a look at some of the points here, which would give us an idea about the Java programming language, as well as its features –

• Java is secure.
  Security is a concern for many, and Java is secured. With a secure class loading and verification mechanism, it is made sure that only the legit Java code is executed.

• Java is fast
  Java is a pretty fast programming language when compared to some other programming languages. However, it is slower in comparison to some programming languages like C or C++.

• Java is simple and easy to learn
  If you want to learn Java, it can be very simple for you to get started. At first, things might not feel easy, but as you go through the different concepts, you will become good at them. Even if you are learning Java as your first programming language, it should be easy for you, and if you are already familiar with some other programming language like C or C++, it would be very easy for you, to migrate to Java.

• Java is a WORA(Write Once, Run Anywhere) Programming language.
  Java is a Write Once, Run Anywhere programming language. This means that once the Java Source code is written and compiled, it can run on any machine with the JVM.

• Java is Platform Independent
  This point is similar to the above point. The thing is that, unlike in C/C++, the Java source code is compiled into something called bytecode, which is a .class file. This file can run on any machine with JVM.

• Syntax of a Java program is simple
  The thing is that once you understand the syntax of a Java program, you become familiar with it. If it feels hard, just understand that it is not difficult, but unfamiliar.

• Resources and documentation
  If you want to learn or explore Java, there are a lot of resources and documentation available, that you can access, and explore the Java programming language.

• You can learn Java with no prior programming experience
  The thing is that if you are a complete beginner, and you chose Java as your first programming language that you learn, it is not a problem at all. But if you have a prior experience with some other programming language like C or C++, you would feel it easier to migrate to Java.

• Java supports concepts like multithreading and exception handling
  Java supports the concepts like multithreading and exception handling. You can understand multithreading as multitasking here, and exception handling means handling the exceptions that occur in the program and disturb the normal flow of the program. These concepts are amazing and very useful!

• Java can be used to create distributed applications
  The Java programming language can be used to write Distributed Applications. You can explore what is Distributed computing, and distributed applications since it is a completely different topics.
  And many many more …

Also, the thing is that there are billions of devices that are powered by Java. Once you get to learn the Java Programming language, you can get into more technical details, since it would not be enough to cover many things here. But Java is an amazing programming language to learn, explore, use, and implement.

Why should you learn Java?

This can be a pretty simple question, why should you learn Java? Let’s answer this question now.

As you know that Java is one of the most popular and widely used programming languages in this world, and it is used for various purposes. So, once you get to learn the Java programming language, you can open the doors to learn and implement several other things, like developing mobile applications, Distributed applications, and much more.

Also, if you are learning Java as your first programming language, it would develop your logical thinking. You would be able to solve some problems by writing the programs. Of course, this is going to come with a lot of practice, but learning Java can take you that way. Also, when you learn Java and become good at it, it can get you hired at some company. There are many such companies that require programmers who know Java programming language.

Conclusion

Here, we have seen what is Java programming language, and platform. Java is one of the most popular and very widely used programming languages in this world. If you are curious about learning Java programming language, you should explore the programming language, and try to learn most of it, or at least go through the fundamentals. If you are starting your programming journey, it would help you gain knowledge about solving problems, and you would learn and implement many different concepts.

On the other hand, if you are already familiar with some programming languages like C or C++, it would be very easy for you to migrate to Java. The bottom line is that Java programming language is very easy to learn, and is a very popular and widely used programming language. If you are thinking about learning the Java programming language, you should consider learning, practicing, and implementing the programming language.

FAQ about Java Programming Language