• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Why is Java taught in Universities?

D

dawks

Diamond Member
Whats the point? So people can learn to program without worry about memory management and such?

What are some actual uses of Java? Other then a stock quote program my pops uses, I have yet to see any real uses for it.

Java is ass IMO.
 
Java is being used in a lot of commercial projects these days.. no clue why, but it is.

Most government contracts require atleast part of the deliverable in Java.
 
Also here are some common uses according to Sun:


Java technology is everywhere. It's embedded in 150 million mobile phones; it's in PDAs and pagers; it's inside video games, TVs, and Web sites.
 
It's a fantastic language, that's why. Would you rather they teach you something more esoteric to limit the possibility of finding employment once you graduate?

If you can't see the benefits of Java, I suggest you stay in school for a while longer 🙂
 
It's a beautiful language. My only concerns are speed (although it seems fast enough for a lot of uses). I took a class with it and loved it but it has caused me to become confused a bit at work where I am using C/C++. A lot of times I go, "Opps, why doesn't that work?!?! Oh wait a minute -- that was in Java -- in C++ I have to do it a different way..."
 
Originally posted by: Descartes
It's a fantastic language, that's why. Would you rather they teach you something more esoteric to limit the possibility of finding employment once you graduate?
Click to expand...

Hey, I plan to use SmallTalk, ADA, Prolog, and CLIPS extensively... when I find a job. 🙂
 
with current JIT (just in time) compilers, Java can compete in terms of speed with even the best C, C++ compilers, and actually in some cases be faster...

and like someone else mentioned above, Java is used extensively in Mobile Phones and PDA applications.....
 
Java is a really nice OOP language...some will say Java is the only language that really does OOP right, but I dunno.

And no memory management. And Java is used a lot in industry.
 
Stay in school and learn more about Java.
My company's software is 100% Java now. In fact, it is a leading selling point that we are the only company in our market that is using 100% web-based Java software. It's fast, and it's clean. And it runs on any OS. We no longer have to write custom ports for cleints that aren't on Win32. If they can get a VM, they can run our software. Any platform, any web server, any db server, any app server. It works.

Java is here to stay. Not having to worry about memory management is just a fringe benefit.
 
Currently taking 2nd Java class at a University. I like it.. don't know how useful it'll be but I like it. 🙂
 
I am on my second year of java as well.

It is considerably slower than C++, but the fact that the entire language is based on objects and inherited methods makes it very easy. Plus, with Swing and AWT, graphical implementations of programs is a cinch.
 
As others have mentioned, Java:

1. Is an excellent way to teach OOP concepts.
2. Is widely available on multiple platforms.
3. Is, along with .NET, becoming more widely used in the software industry.

Java can be used from applets all the way up to enterprise class applications. I think it's unfortunate that some of the pointer and memory management concepts necessary for C/C++ programming are being lost as computer science programs drift toward managed languages. Nonetheless, teaching Java is a good thing. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: DaZ
Whats the point? So people can learn to program without worry about memory management and such?

What are some actual uses of Java? Other then a stock quote program my pops uses, I have yet to see any real uses for it.

Java is ass IMO.
Click to expand...

Yes, everything besides C/C++ is @ss
rolleye.gif


There is far more to learn about programming than memory management. A language that deals with that low-level stuff for you is a lot easier to work with. Ever tried to hunt down a memory leak in a 5,000 line program? You'd be liking Java then. Java has uses about anywhere C++ does. I assume you've heard of the internet... Java is very useful there!

If you like dealing with stuff like memory management, try using LISP. It's about one of the most unintuitive languages out there.
 
Originally posted by: Jzero
We no longer have to write custom ports for cleints that aren't on Win32. If they can get a VM, they can run our software.
Click to expand...

Ding ding ding we have a winner! Businesses are all about cutting costs. Java allows your program to run on just about anything with a working J2RE implementation (think anything bigger than a cellphone and newer than an Amiga/68k Mac). I predict that as CPUs become faster and the JRE becomes faster and able to provide a 3d HAL, we'll start to see commerical games written in Java.
 
Originally posted by: RaiderJ
Originally posted by: DaZ
Whats the point? So people can learn to program without worry about memory management and such?

What are some actual uses of Java? Other then a stock quote program my pops uses, I have yet to see any real uses for it.

Java is ass IMO.
Click to expand...

Yes, everything besides C/C++ is @ss
rolleye.gif


There is far more to learn about programming than memory management. A language that deals with that low-level stuff for you is a lot easier to work with. Ever tried to hunt down a memory leak in a 5,000 line program? You'd be liking Java then. Java has uses about anywhere C++ does. I assume you've heard of the internet... Java is very useful there!

If you like dealing with stuff like memory management, try using LISP. It's about one of the most unintuitive languages out there.
Click to expand...


Let's put things into context, for a well-rounded developper here's which language I'd use depending on the requirements:

Fast code: C/C++, inline ASM if needed for critical parts
Rapid development: VB.NET
General purpose coding: C# or VB.NET
Cross-platform compatibility: Java

I know a lot of people will argue my choice of C# as the language of choice for general purpose coding but I really think it's the best way to go if cross-platform compatibility isn't necessary. I learned C# before Java and when I learned Java I often found myself asking where certain C# features were (what's with the lack of operator overloading in Java, anyway?). I rarely, if ever code something in C# and think, "hmmm... feature X in Java would be useful right about now".

This is all IMHO, of course, feel free to disagree.😛
 
java is all over the place. It is truly a powerful language with many uses as you can see in this thread. From webservers to cell phones. Java is all over the place.
 
I was told at my University (Wisconsin Madison) that they teach us java, at least in our intro classes, because it enforces OOP easily, and that worrying about memory management is beyond the scope of those courses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top