The Popularity of Java, Term Paper Example

Java has a very short history, having been designed in 1995, yet this short history is what belies its increasing popularity. It was made by Sun Microsystems and the dream of the makers of this programming language was that it would revolutionize the world of network computing and internet and programming. In future, Java will become even more popular in the field of both general-purpose programming and internet applications.

Features That Make Java Very Popular

When it was introduced into the computing industry for the first time, this programming language was known as Oak. It was adapted for the internet soon after its launch in the market initially, only the HotJava Web browser owned by Sun Microsystems could run this programming language. Today, major players, including Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Netscape’s Navigator often run programs coded using Java.

All applications made using Java can be run on client machines. This is the most important feature that makes Java very popular. The server machine therefore never suffers from overloading problems. Java is portable, meaning that it can easily be used across different computing platforms. Thirdly, it is object-oriented. This means that it is robust and highly extensible.  Fourth, its in-built security makes it immune from both unintentional and intentional attacks.

The usefulness of Java is increased by its ability to take advantage of powerful features of most operating systems in use today. Although the language shares many features with C++, the processes of compilation and execution are completely unique.  The Java code has to first be converted into bytecode. Bytecode is an executable file and is handled by Java Virtual machine. This machine does not exist in the physical world; rather, it is a target machine that converts bytecode that is hardware-neutral to instructions that are hardware-specific. The instructions are then used to run a specific Java application. The network environment is the most important distinguishing feature. Java’s procedure is much better than all other available alternatives.

With Java, most of the processing work of HTML codes is handled by the client machine, as opposed to traditional CGI programming technique whereby Pearl scripts, located on the server, were always relied on in matters of validation and processing of codes. This process could put the server under severe stress if many people were trying to access a particular web page, leading slowdown of the machine (Arnold et al, 2005)

In order for security to be enhanced, Java bytecode is always checked for validation purposes by the interpreter. The interpreter imposes restrictions on file system access and allows access to only the permitted files. The popularity of Java is set to remain high especially due to the fact that it has no pointers support. It also does not make a provision for any instance of array bounds checking. These are the two main causes of unintentional mayhem in C and C++ programming languages. Additionally, this programming language is very efficient for automatic implementation of multiple sequencing measures that prevent memory leaks from occurring (Clamp et al, 2004).

Why Java Is So Widely Used

The fact that Java is the most widely used programming language is beyond any reasonable doubt. There are many reasons for this. For one, unlike its rivals, it is free. Additionally, its platform independence feature is a major attraction to very many users. It operates on a Write-Once-Run Run Anywhere basis.

In order to assess the usefulness of this language, it is good to assess the uses that motivated its invention. The language was initiated as a part of a bigger plan that would necessitate the production of advanced consumer electronics and software. This is the main reason why the devices that operate on this platform are small, highly reliable and portable.

With Java, programming is easier by virtue of being project-oriented in addition to the automatic garbage collection feature. This means that Java code is not dependent on architecture. Therefore, it can easily be used on mobile devices as well as in the internet. In fact, many analysts say that Java was made into a star by the evolution of the internet and mobile devices technology, which encompasses things like mobile phones, Blackberry, PDAs and GPS systems. As long as technology in these areas continues to improve, Java will continue to become more popular (Bloch, 2001).

Java 1.0 did not live up to the expectations that had been put into people’s minds through press releases, although no programming language in its first stages has ever lived up to its promises. As media frenzy continued to wane, the language started establishing a foothold in the field of software development.

The readability level of Java remains higher than that of other programming languages. Its C-like syntax is of multi-threading nature and it is also case-sensitive, making it a high-productivity language, more or less like Clarion programming language. The fact that Java was launched as an internet tool can be viewed as both a fortunate and unfortunate development depending on where your interests lie. Incidentally, it is its use on the internet that gave Java an unprecedented exposure and hence, popularity.

Research on How Java Is Used in Industry

The fact that Java has always been associated with internet applications has resulted in an ingrained public consciousness that confines the language to the internet world only. This is very misleading. Java is not a client-side technology. Although applets can be downloaded and run by a client’s web browser, this is just a tiny fraction of Java is capable of doing. In fact, applets lead to a slower process of connecting to the internet.

Java is used for both web-related applications and in the traditional software development tasks. Most web front applications are being widely used for server-side development. The shift from client side to server side development started immediately after Java 1.0 was released. This move was necessitated by lack of enough bandwidth poor compatibility levels with Java Virtual Machine.

Although it is possible to create any amount of web content through the client browser, it is much more effective and safer to do everything on the server side and just deliver a finished product on the client side.

As a real Programming language, Java can be used to write just about any type of computer program that interests you. The only exception is the case of hardware-dependent low-level code. For this reason, Java will continue to be a very popular programming language as well as a web application tool.

References

Arnold, K. et al (2005). The Java Programming Language. New York: Addison-Wesley Professional.

Bloch, J. (2001). Effective Java Programming Language Guide. Mountain View: Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Clamp, M. et al (2004). The Jalview Java alignment editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press.