Java Advantages and Limitations

Java has emerged to a great extent as a high-level language in various domains. Products like applications, websites, and software built using java are ruling the IT industry. Without a doubt, many developers use Java for over a couple of decades. Not everything is cent per cent perfect. And so is java too.
This article will make you aware of all the pros of Java and its limitations too.

Advantages of using Java

1. Simple to use

This is one of the main features of Java. A language must be easy to learn and use to make people feel comfortable with it. And Java has passed this test already. The codes are straightforward, easy to comprehend, and debug.

When compared to C and C++, Java contains no complex features like pointers, operator overloading, structures, and union. In addition to it, it has better features like garbage collection that removes the unreferenced object automatically. This makes the code look even simpler.

2. Object-oriented

Java uses the object paradigm approach to solve problems. The OOPs or Object-oriented concepts like class, object, polymorphism, inheritance, encapsulation, and data abstraction have strengthened the base of Java.

Code flexibility and reusability make it easier and even more adaptable. Java lets the developers organize large modules into multiple smaller ones.

3. Security in Java

Java is known to be a highly secured language. Security risks usually occur in concepts like pointers where it points to the memory locations. Due to the absence of unequivocal pointers in java, no unauthorized personnel can access such locations.

Java acts as a security administrator that characterized the entrance of the different classes. Other features like abstraction, encapsulation, and inheritance using private properties also help in hiding and protecting the data.

4. Robust

The effective memory management feature in Java makes it robust. It also handles all the exceptions. The type-checking feature makes the code even more secure. Due to the absence of pointers, it is also safe from security threats.

5. Cheap Maintenance

As Java runs on any machine without considering its hardware system, the developing cost is reduced. Maintaining the developed code in Java is also simple. This makes it an economically safe language to opt for.

6. Platform-independent

The Write Once Run Anywhere (WORA) feature in Java makes it outstanding among the other programming languages like C and C++. Once the code is compiled and the byte-code file is obtained, it becomes platform-independent and sun on any system that supports the Java Virtual Machine(JVM). Therefore, you need not compile the program each time it runs.

7. Multithreading

Thread is the smallest unit of a process. Proper CPU utilization plays a vital role in the execution speed of a program. We can obtain the CPU’s maximum ability by incorporating the concept of multithreading. This results in running multiple threads at a time. Though the memory shared here is common, the threads run independently of each other.

7. Automatic garbage collection

We should then clear the unwanted memory space in C or C++. When it comes to Java, has this extraordinary feature that clears up the memory space by itself. When the JVM encounters an object that is not referred to as any class, it removes them from the program. No extra lines of code are required to remove the dereferenced objects. This is the automatic garbage collection feature in Java.

8. High-level programming language

As humans understand programming languages that are easier to read, Java is preferred by most of us. These high-level languages that are similar to the human language are easier to understand and remember when compared to machine code language. The interpreter does the work of comprehending the high-level language to the machine-level language and vice versa.

9. Distributed language

The characteristic of sharing data and programs among different systems makes Java a distributed language. The great advantage of this feature is that it rises the efficiency of the system.

It also supports socket programming, COBRA technology, and Remote Method Invocation (RMI). With the help of these, distributed processing in Java takes place easily.

10. Productive memory allocation

Java categorizes the memory into two parts, Heap Area and Stack Area. This memory allocation strategy works efficiently. The memory is allocated by the JVM for the variables from the stack or the heap space.

11. Portability

As we saw earlier, Java consists of a platform-independent feature. It runs on any system without the presence of special hardware. Thus, it is compatible with numerous devices.

12. Stability

The programs in Java are stable when compared with other languages. Updated versions of Java are continuously released making it even better than before. Most of the bugs are removed in the new versions. This gives us a reason to update Java regularly.

13. Enormous community support

It doesn’t matter how useful or perfect a language is, the acceptance of people is the main phenomenon. Java has created an abundance of communities where programmers can clarify their doubts. These communities have made Java persist through all these years.

Most of the queries are solved in StackOverflow in the domain of Java. Therefore, developers pick Java as their first choice.

All these points collectively make Java rule the programming world even today.

Limitations of Java

Not everything is always perfect. Java also has some irregularities. In this part of the article, we will discuss the limitations that Java possesses.

1. Memory Consumption

As the Java program runs on top of the Java Virtual Machine, it takes up a lot of memory. This is comparatively more to C and C++. And it leads to heavy garbage collection activity.

2. Poor performance

We have to accept the fact that Java requires more amount of memory space when compared to other high-level languages like C or C++. It is also comparatively a bit slow in processing. This delay is due to the time taken by the interpreter to convert the code into a machine-level language.

The Java Virtual Machine is also responsible for numerous background processes making it decreases the program’s speed. Features like garbage collection that always run in the background also cater to the fact that it occupies more CPU time.

3. Substandard GUI

The GUI builder is poor in Java which makes it resistant to building a complex GUI. The UI remains simple in java due to the prevailing inconsistencies of the immature frameworks in it. Though there are multiple frameworks like Swing, JSF, JavaFX, etc., they are not as strong as the builders present in languages like C#, R, or Python.

4. Absence of backup facility

Users’ data once lost is forever lost. There is no backup facility for such circumstances in java. This language puts its ultimate focus only on data storage, not on its backup feature.

5. Verbose and complex Code

The syntax and verbose in Java are a bit more complicated than that of C, C++, or Python. Newcomers might find it hard to stick with Java when languages like Python have no such complexities.

For example

To print a statement in java, the format is:

System.out.println(“FirstCode”);

Whereas in python, it is only one word:

print(“FirstCode”)

The same goes for receiving input too. Java has comparatively many numbers of words or lines for processing.

6. Payment for the license

When Oracle announced that the programmers must pay a fee to use the commercial license of Java 11 and above, it led to chaos. This took place in January 2019, when java was free software for everyone.

The simpler versions are still available free of cost. But to utilize all the resources, a premium amount should be paid.

Here is a table that lists down the advantages and limitations of Java:

	Pros of Java	Cons of Java
1	Simple to use	Memory consumption
2	Object-oriented	Poor performance
3	Provides security	Substandard GUI
4	Robust	Absence of backup
5	Cheap maintenance	Verbose and complex
6	Platform-independent	Payment for the license
7	Multithreaded
8	Automatic garbage collection
9	High-level programming language
10	Productive memory allocation
11	Portability
12	Stability
13	Enormous community support

Conclusion

Despite its limitations, Java is preferred by most programmers. The count of its advantages is more than makes its limitations negotiable. It’s been a quarter century since its release, and Java still rules the programming world. There is no doubt that the future for Java will be tremendous.