Why do people hate Java so much?

Question

Judging by Slashdot and Reddit comments, people seem to hate the Java language. In my experience with it, Java isn't anything special, but it's not bad either. It is the only compiled language with cross-platform compatibility, it's just as powerful as C, and it's easier to learn. Java isn't the best language ever, but it's not bad. Why do people hate Java so much?

Answer 1

Well you already have information wrong...



"It is the only compiled language with cross-platform compatibility"



All complied languages have cross-platform comparability, that's the entire point of higher level languages. They compile programs down to an object file...which is basically a mapping of your code into that machines assembler language...then when you call the linker you get an actual program. The purpose of a compiled language is to use a level of abstraction between the programmer and the machines language...so you could write code once, and compile it many different times across different types of systems.



The only difference with java, is it compiles down into bytecode...which is run by a virtual machine (the java runtime environment)...which is probably what someone told you. So, the big difference is that you no longer have to rely on libraries that exist on one type of system. Within the past few years, they have went away from OS defined window libaries and actually defined their own...so if you use the right library, your java program should look the same across all systems it runs on.



Now, as for your question, ask people why they don't like it. While you are at it, ask them what the difference between the top down paradigm and the object oriented paradigm is. Ask them what the concept of design patterns is for...hell ask them what the hell paradigm means. More than likely a ton of people wont know the answers to these questions, so they are probably making arguments that stem from ignorance on the subject.



Also, relating to your comment on the desktop java not being the java on the web makes it seem like you don't really have a good understanding of what java is. You can develop "java for the web" type of stuff pretty easily on a desktop computer running the JDK...it's called a javaapplet. They also have the concept of a java server page, but you can look that up on your own if you are interested.

Answer 2

I'm going to go point and point and dismiss your claims. Java is not the only compiled language with cross-platform compatibility; it is one of the few languages where the bytecode can be moved around without recompilation, but it is not the only compiled language to have cross-platform compatibility because C and C++ are also cross-platform if you compile from source on the target machine. Java is not as powerful as C...try doing extremely low level memory management in Java, such as is required in OS development, and you'll see the limitations of Java pretty quickly. C is also a much smaller language than Java, making it a lot easier to learn; the Java syntax may be easier to read, but there is so much more available in the language that makes it more difficult to learn. Also, Java is very insecure, unstable, bug-prone in the JRE, slow to execute, requires an unusually large amount of system resources during execution, and is purely object-oriented which always has limitations.

Answer 3

For the same reason people say any language sucks. Java has some issues it can be a data hog but I like to work with it and I kinda like that its a data hog. it makes you use your head and code smart on bigger projects. computers are so powerful these days that programers don't have to be smart about the way they program. Back to your question I got off track. Most people that say they don't like java have very little experience with it. They repeat the same stuff that they've always heard and some of it was true 10 years ago. Some of it is still true but it has it's place. I have my prefrences in programming languages both web and stand alone but what annoys me is when people down a program because "it can't do" odds are it can and they're just not smart enough to figure out to make it do whatever it is that they say it can't. Personally I don't like PYTHON. It's a great language and lots of people love it but I need brackets man!

Answer 4

Peoples' experiences with Java ... especially 10 years ago Java was unbearably slow.



Nowadays it's a faster, but not nearly as fast as C/ C++ etc. Also, memory management in Java is unpredictable garbage collection doesn't happen when it's supposed to 100% of the time. Java still doesn't support operator overloading, Java was recently exploited to gain system control.



It's the Java garbage collection that can cause most of the headaches.

Answer 5

Most persons on the web anyway, I consider are regarding java script, now not exact java, blame Netscape for making a god awful internet-scripting language and naming it after a quality programming language, java script incidentally has nothing to do with java.

Answer 6

I don't care about the language with which it's authored. I don't care about security holes. I hate Java for the update, update, update, ad nauseam. I hate the presumption that I would ever WANT the Ask Toolbar or that I would want Ask to be my default search engine forever. Stop already.

Answer 7

Java is amazing for what it is! It can be used in so many areas, its insane. It's so useful, especially with combination of one or more other languages.

Answer 8

i hate java.

Objective C and XCode are the best.

Answer 9

It's slow...



It's buggy...



and it takes forever for the program that's supposed to run to download from the server each and every time you need to use it instead of caching it once.

Answer 10

too complicated with all of its frameworks, not easy to debug as others programming languages