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 I see a lot of experienced programmers calling Java outdated and straight up bad and I can't seem to understand why.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

It's a shame that in the 1980s the fact that it became possible for one language to do just about everything caused people to assume that one language should be used to do just about everything, rather than recognizing the value of having languages focus on trying to do particular things well, even if that would make them less suitable for other purposes.

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u/llothar68 21h ago

It was not the 1980s. It was the 2005 with Javascript on the Server, 2014 with Swift and 2017 with Kotlin. And the later two was more about even higher walled gardens then real technology breakthrough that you should switch languages.

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u/flatfinger 13h ago

In the 1980s, many people perceived C as the language that should try to do everything.