Java is undoubtedly very different from other programming languages and the most widely growing programming language that is utilized for creating web applications and platforms.The features that make Java different from other languages are discussed briefly in this article.
The features that make Java different from other languages are discussed briefly in this article. If you are interested in our Java training program then Request for free Demo and understand the importance of Java over other programming languages.
What Is Java?
Java was originally developed at Sun Microsystems as a platform-independent language. Java was designed to gain flexibility and making it possible for the developers to run it on any machine; regardless of platform or architecture. Java is a high-level language.
Also Read: Difference between JDK, JVM, and JRE In Java
The rest of the article is dedicated to how Java is better or not better than other programming languages. The important features and shortcomings of Java are discussed which are compared to other programming languages.
Why Is Java Better Than Other Programming Languages?
There are innumerable reasons as to why java is better than other programming languages. The major characteristics of the language has played an important role in its success, including the following components:
- Programs written in Java are portable in nature.
The source code i.e. the .java file is compiled and converted into bytecode (highly optimized set of instructions). The bytecode can be run on any machine which has Java Virtual machine installed on it. Java Virtual Machine converts the bytecode into code that is computer hardware runnable.
Contrastingly, most of the other programming languages such as COBOL, C++, Smalltalk or Visual Basic compiles the code into a binary file. Binary files are platform-dependent i.e. a program created for Intel-based Windows machine cannot be run on Linux-based machine or Mac.
2. Java code is Robust.
A program written in java is said to be robust becauseit contains no references to external data i.e. it does not has any explicit pointers. While other programming languages like C++ and a few others contain pointers.
This feature of Java makes sure that none of the instructions stores address of any data storage in another data storage or the operating system itself otherwise the program or the operating system would crash or terminate abruptly. The integrity of each object is ensured by the Java Virtual Machine.
3. Java is Object-Oriented.
Creating an object of a class is creating an instance of a class. Java is Object-oriented i.e. it creates instances of each class which are copies of the class. The advantage of creating objects is multiple instances of the same code are created and changes are made to that object without affecting the main code.
4. Java is easy to learn.
Java is easy to learn because it removes less-used and confusing features such as operator overloading, explicit pointers, etc. Also, Java has a syntax similar to C++ and is relatively easy, especially to those with background in C. Java was created so that a language is designed that is easy to learn, use, compile and debug, and hence Java is much simpler than other programming languages.
5. Java is Secure.
Java provides high security because of its outstanding exception handling mechanism. Exception handling mechanism of Java is the best. Majority of errors are caught in Java. Errors like division by zero cannot be handled by mother programming languages such as C/C++.
A simple error like this makes the entire system down if C/C++ is used; this is easily handled in Java. High security of Java makes it better and therefore different from other programming languages.
Drawbacks Of Java When Compared To Other Programming Languages
Java is not without drawbacks just like any other programming language. There is always a scope of improvement and since Java is still evolving, it has a few shortcomings which are required to be solved:
- Lower Performance.
Java’s performance is a tad bit lower when compared to some of the other programing languages. It is significantly slower and consumes more memory when compared to other programming languages such as C++ or C.
2. GUI with relatively poor features.
Java do support a few default features but the number of features available is very less. The default features are written using the Swing toolkit which uses the javax.swing package and the features available are very different from other programming languages.
3. Low-level programming not supported.
Java does not support low-level programming in order to support its feature of platform independence.
All in all, Java has not gained perfection yet but it is evolving rapidly. Sun Microsystems are working on overcoming all the drawbacks and making it up to date. Not forgetting the drawbacks, Java has features that cannot be matched by any other programming language.
Considering, both the pros and cons of it, Java is different from other programming languages.