Debunking the Myth: Exploring Java 9 Misconceptions

Java is undoubtedly one of the topmost programming languages in the world. Despite its beginning as a program for set-top box, it remains one of the most widely used languages. It is not just preferred by programmers and coders, it is also a popular language when it comes to teaching programming languages in schools and universities.

But Java also comes with a plethora of myths and misconceptions. Some of it is inevitable with a popular language where murmurs on its features and efficiency become Chinese whispers. But some also stem from its beginning as a simple language that seemed too good to be true. Its makers’ bold declaration of “write once, run anywhere” was considered a bit too revolutionary.

Although Java has come far since its beginning – now with Java 9, the misconceptions surrounding it are still quite prevalent. This is despite the fact that many programmers chose to keep working on Java and you can easily hire java developers for enterprise application development.

Let’s take a look at some of these myths:

Java is dead

We’ll call this is the strangest myths regarding Java that refuses to die down despite the fact that rates among the top programming languages used across the world. Don’t take our word for it. Check out the RedMonk Programming Language Ranking the TIOBE index that have repeatedly found Java among the topmost popular languages. Java remains alive and thriving.

Java is slow

This one has some basis in truth and it stems from the JVM or the Java Virtual Machine. One of Java’s USP was “write once, run anywhere”. But this depended on the JVM that gave it the cross-platform portability. But JVM also meant additional infrastructure layer, which would obviously slow down the entire process. In addition, some early JVMs were actually pretty slow.

But the scenario is quite different now. The new JVMs are quite fast. The speed of our hardware also means that the delay is negligible. It may matter in applications where every second counts, but for most applications, Java’s speed is a complete non-issue.

Java suffers no memory leaks

When we compare it with C and C++, Java seems pretty foolproof against memory leaks. In the other two languages memory leaks can occur anytime there is an error in allocating the location. Since this done by the programmer, simple human error makes the possibility of a memory leak ever present. Java removes the human factor by automating memory management. The garbage collector later does the clean-up for objects with no references.

However, the clean-up depends on the reference and if a reference remains, the garbage collector will skip it. In effect this will be the same as a memory leak. Eventually it will run out of free memory. So, even though it may have better memory management, a programmer cannot afford to ignore cleaning-up.

Java cannot be embedded because its too big

It started with 20 class libraries and now Java 9 has more than 6000! These are critical support base, since Java cannot depend on a specific platform-based library. For Java developers the libraries are especially handy since there is little need to take support of a third party. But it did make Java’s size quite big. Full JRE took as much as 40MB of storage space.

But Java has addressed this issue diligently in its last few versions. Java 8 introduced compact profiles, smallest of which would need just 10 MB. Java 9 has created a modular format so that one can pick and choose what one wants, restraining the size.

Java is not secure

This idea gained traction when an idea was floated that an applet can easily access a hard drive. With this came scares of corruption and even erasures. But, in truth Java security is not that flimsy. An applet cannot access the the system with impunity. There are checks and balances to prevent this. A digitally signed applet will trigger warning systems in the OS, asking the user if they recognize it.

Conclusion

Java has been around long enough to develop its own mythology. From the sole language that can fix it all to its features and functionality, there are obviously many myths associated with Java. While some may have come from earlier versions, other are just not true.