Why Java is Seeing a Never Ending Demand ?
As a powerful programming language, Java is used widely by developers across the world. Since its first commercial launch by Sun Microsystems in 1995, Java has been effective in completely transforming the lifestyles and habits of modern users. Within the timeframe, there were times when the popularity of the programming language was not at its peak. But Java has always been effective in overcoming the short-term fluctuations, along with gaining strength with each passing day.
As per a report posted on ComputerWeekly.com, “The demand for Java skills is soaring, creating a boom for programmers and causing headaches for employers and IT directors. Java is now the second most sought-after skill in the IT recruitment market, according to Computer Weekly's Survey of Appointment and Trends. Demand for the five-year-old language is second only to C++.” The outcome of the survey also indicates that the popularity of Java will remain intact during the upcoming years.
What Makes Java Popular Even after Two Decades?
Two decades are a long period on the lifespan of a programming language. There are many instances where several programming languages fail to meet the latest trends in application development. But developers are still excited about Java in 2013 due to some of its advanced and distinct features and functionalities.
Release of Java 8: The updated version of each programming language comes with a set of advanced features and functionality. Developers often look eagerly to use the features to develop robust applications without putting any extra time and effort. The Java developers were waiting for the release of Java 8 so that they can start using the lambda functions. But Oracle has delayed the release of the updated version of the programming language due to some reasons. The latest version of the programming language is expected to release in September with the much awaited lambda functions, and improved date and time API. The advanced features will encourage more developers to learn and use the powerful programming language.
Enhanced JVM Languages: Last year, a number of JVM languages like Scala, Akka, Typesafe and Play 2.0 became hugely popular among enterprise clients. Many companies even invest in these JVM languages to make a variety of advanced enterprise applications. The investment in these languages will maintain their popularity in the following years. Many developers are also looking forward to the release of Java 8 so that they can start availing the features offered by the updated version of some of these JVM languages. At the same time, some of the commonly used JVM languages like JRuby, Clojure and Kotlin are being updated with new features to target the changing trends in technology.
Harnessing Java Performance using GPU: The updated version of the programming language will also come with a set of projects within the OpenDJK. But developers consider a project named Sumatra will be much more effective in harnessing the high performance of the programming language by using GPU. Initially, the project aims to lay the groundwork required to use Java 8 library and language features. In the later stages, the developers will be able to use Hotspot JVM to test the advanced and new techniques. Also, the feature will enable them to test the lambda functions.
Growing Usage and Significance of JavaScript: Oracle has further initiated several projects in 2012 to lunch an improved and powerful JavaScript engine. The engine will be included within Java 8 to make it easier for developers to embed JavaScript into their Java applications. Project Nashorn, which became open source in November 2102, intends to make JavaScript more relevant for the programmers. The project also includes the widely used node.js that will surely contribute towards the growing popularity of Java.
Java in the Cloud: The popularity of Cloud platforms is increasing at a rapid pace. Many developers are availing the advantages offered by Cloud computing to access information and data on the go. The strong Cloud platform launched by Oracle makes it easier for the programming language to meet the changing trends in application development. However, developers still have to wait for Java 8 release to avail the advantages of own cloud features. Also, Oracle needs to optimize and standardize Cloud-based Java features to make the platform popular among developers.
The popularity of Java is also enhanced through the Java web application development frameworks. The frameworks have helped many developers to avail advantages of the powerful language without putting any extra effort. The release of Java 8 will further contribute towards enhancing the performance of these frameworks.
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