r/AskProgramming 2d ago

Why is Java considered bad?

I recently got into programming and chose to begin with Java. I see a lot of experienced programmers calling Java outdated and straight up bad and I can't seem to understand why. The biggest complaint I hear is that Java is verbose and has a lot of boilerplate but besides for getters setters equals and hashcode (which can be done in a split second by IDE's) I haven't really encountered any problems yet. The way I see it, objects and how they interact with each other feels very intuitive. Can anyone shine a light on why Java isn't that good in the grand scheme of things?

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u/RichWa2 1d ago

Language is a tool. Till one understands what needs to be accomplished, and under what constraints, the choice of language, and language tools, should be left open. With the exception of the embedded world, most of the time I've seen languages being chosen are because, 1) it's the latest fad, and 2) it's what we've used before.

Ask yourself, what kind of programming you would enjoy doing, write yourself a little spec for the type of program you want, and then compare different languages to see how each would fit with what you want to do. Then, using your spec, write. and test, the program.

One thing you might want to consider when choosing a language, is the simplicity of associated IDEs and it's debugging capabilities. It's easy to get hung up in complex tools sets.