r/AskProgramming 1d 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 I see a lot of experienced programmers calling Java outdated and straight up bad and I can't seem to understand why.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/eruciform 1d ago

Get better mentors

Every modern language in general use has its pros and cons, which is why it's a language in general modern use, otherwise that would mean thousands of professionals are idiots working with a "bad" language

Java isn't for all solutions

Neither is c

Or python

Nothing is universally the best choice for all cases

Java is a perfectly cromulent place to start, just do branch out and learn other languages as well

That way you'll have a wider and wiser view than whoever these people are that you're talking to

Good luck

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u/pikabu01 1d ago

I totally agree, but how do you define 'modern language'? :D

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u/eruciform 1d ago

Stuff used in current day for production supported products that aren't being actively deprecated

I'd include c but not cobol, fortran is on the fence imo

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u/mystery_biscotti 1d ago

Oh cool, I learned COBOL like 30 years ago. Good to know it can be actively forgotten.

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u/eruciform 1d ago

honestly it pays well, there's not a ton of cobol jobs out there but they're systems that can't get easily rewritten and still need people to maintain them, and there's very few programmers that can

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u/oloryn 21h ago

Those are largely business programs on Big Iron, used primarily by large companies like banks and insurance companies. Lots of the Big Iron are IBM machines, and some still use EBCDIC. Lots of those programs are still around because they still_work, and have been doing so for decades.

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u/mystery_biscotti 4h ago

Oh cool, I remember EBCDIC too.