Why is Java in demand?

Question

Java

Hey!
I can’t find an answer to the question what is the reason for the popularity of Java, more precisely, there is a lot of information
that Java programmers are in great demand and highly paid, although
I have not seen Java applications in real life (I don’t take into account games in .jar archives on old black and white cell phones).
A big plus is, of course, cross-platform, but not everyone has a JVM installed, plus the byte code generated by the Java compiler is very easy to decompile, and the speed of program execution is extremely low.
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

>the reason for the popularity of Java
Something like this:
- simple syntax, without unnecessary complications - I have not programmed in C++ for 8 years, but lately, sometimes I look at C++ code and just quiet horror :) And alternatives to C++ just no, just Java. No, of course there are all sorts of Rust, D, but it's still for geeks to play around.
- convenient organization of libraries and high-quality tools for managing dependencies (the rest are just starting to catch up) => build large projects without headaches and connect third-party libs
- sophisticated and nimble multithreading, including the so-called goroutines, especially in the latest versions (7-8 )
- JVM on which you can easily program in Scala, Groovy, Python, Ruby, JavaScript, Kotlin, Ceylon, etc. etc. If you don't like Java syntax. At the same time, what is programmed in Python will be available from Java, and vice versa. It is very cool. But the entry threshold is still high in order to manage all this economy. I'm just sawing something in this direction to bring down this threshold :)
- Android
- (Indie) games (Minecraft, Delver, Lineage - thousands of them)
There is no Java on desktops, only because of C # and Windows, but so check out InteliJ IDEA 13 it's an example of how sexy a Java desktop interface can be.
And yet, those who tried to write in Ruby, then remade in Java / Scala, because. 1 server in Java is easier than 10 servers in Ruby with the same load.
> program execution speed is extremely low
This is a myth stretching from the bearded 90s. Modern HTTP servers built in Java perform at the level of C/C++ implementations. But of course, they eat more memory, but this is a separate issue and in our time this is not such a problem.

Answer 2

Because Enterprise. Because huge applications. Because it is relatively simpler than similar languages. Because there are many ready-made solutions and already written applications. Because android.
Where does such knowledge about the extremely low execution speed come from? In my practice, Java is no more than 2 times slower than C++, but in most cases it is comparable to C++.

Answer 3

Corporate web. Plus now Android.

Answer 4

Now what is not a project is a highload, hundreds of threads, databases, and so on. What do you love more? Catch fluid memory or write code?

Answer 5

although in real life I have not seen Java applications

Google services are written in java, the same google + and gmail

Answer 6

It looks like one of my acquaintances three months ago. Now writes in Java O_o
Decompilerability is not a vice, besides, there are obfuscation methods.
The speed is not so small, in most cases it is enough. The ease of development fully pays for the possible problems associated with this.

Answer 7

And in the near future it will not become irrelevant?

Answer 8

A lot of banking software is written in Java.
Now, however, client-banking software is increasingly being transferred to the web.
But this does not mean that Java is being abandoned in banks.
For some time, the development of the JavaME "branch" (platform) was suspended, but another niche was found for it - embedded.
If, for some reason, new projects stop appearing, then the existing ones must be supported anyway.
I met a similar topic, and even found a vacancy ...
I recently met a vacancy on the IBM website - they were looking for a specialist who knows Java and "outdated" languages, in order to port Java to previously written software.
Here, sort of "on topic": www.softwaremining.com/platforms/ibm_cobol_migrati...
There was a similar topic for some time, and a vacancy was found there to confirm ...
Plus, "new" languages ​​\u200b\u200bare developing on the Java virtual machine, trying to solve the "diseases" of Java, for which at first there was a real need.

Answer 9

What is Python capable of? - a similar conversation, but in Python.
They write there that the local subject is slower than Java ... and examples of its use ...
According to unverified rumors, Java is studied in American schools ...

Answer 10

From experience - there are few competitors in back-end Java, PersonalHomePage language and the like - not the right path at all. Android development is currently one of the highest paid industries, again, and the demand for it is growing exponentially. Almost no one writes FX applications, but many open-source projects in Java, and in general, very, very much are sharpened for it.
This is not a language that will become obsolete in the near future, do not hope.

Answer 11

It is better to start switching to D now. It has much more prospects than Java. It is enough to look at the speed of the same Vibed to make it clear that it makes little sense to write high-load solutions in Java.
By the way, statistics also show that Java is extremely full of holes. 77% of users don't update...