The Pragmatic Craftsman :: Simplicity from complexity ::

I come across a very interesting post today: a post that explains why Java is cool. I think the poster has some very good points about Java and I agree with him. Yeah, Java is cool and hopefully it will be cool for a long time. I’m excited about Java 1.5: it has some very nice features that will make Java more useful and easier. So why is Java cool? Here are the top-level reasons from the post (make sure you read his explanation on each one):

1. Java has considerably fewer surprises2. Java is not slow3. Swing is improving a lot4. Java’s libraries…5. Java has lots of good (free) IDEs6. Java is a programming platform

“So basically Java is cool because Java is for everybody. Not just a geek-only thing.”

Wow! Version 1.5 of J2SE contains a lot of good improvements! I personally like Java, and even though it has its limitations & drawbacks, I think it’s the best language out there! And you know what, it’s going to be for a pretty long time. After a period of uncertainty about its future (mainly because of the whole .NET marketing), there seems to be a new life thrown into Java (Eclipse, Web Services in J2EE 1.4, and more). Way to go!

J2SE 1.5 contains the following (among others), very cool features, which will make Java better:- generic types- enhanced for loop- enumerated types (oh, yeah, finally)- static import- formatted input/output (as in c++)- metadata- improved xml support- and more!

The theme for 1.5 seems to be to make the developer’s life a little easier. I like what I’ve seen so far. Good job Java community!

Read a very good article that explains what’s new in 1.5 in more detail: J2SE 1.5 in a Nutshell