- What is Java?
- What is Python?
- Why do we need Java?
- Why do we need Python?
- History of Java
- History of Python
- Features of Java
- Features of Python
- Java vs Python
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Java
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Python
- Conclusion
- FAQs
What is Java?
Java is an object-oriented and platform-independent programming language. It is one of the most popular programming languages used by top organizations and developers for creating applications and other developmental works. Java is also used as a computing platform. Java is a robust and secure programming language that makes it preferable to other languages. The origin of Java was Sun Microsystem in 1955, but later it was acquired by Oracle Corporation.
What is Python?
Python is one of the most used and most popular high-level object-oriented programming languages. Python contains a large number of built-in functions and libraries that makes the development work far easier. Python has also built-in data structures that are combined with dynamic binding and that’s the reason for choosing Python for rapid application development. Python is one of the fastest programming languages that has a very simple syntax to write the code. Because of its simplicity, most beginners who are new to programming languages choose Python as their first programming language.
Why do we need Java?
Several reasons lead us to choose Java over other programming languages including the following:
- Java has huge support from its large community that is spread worldwide.
- The code written in the Java programming language has excellent performance.
- Java is platform-independent which makes it preferable over other languages.
- It has detailed documentation that can help you to learn about it.
- Java’s multi-threaded environment makes it easy to do multiple tasks at the same time.
- Java has a large number of 3rd party libraries that makes the development work quick and easy.
- You can easily navigate between Java libraries.
- The code reusability and form of writing code for standard programs are very useful in Java.
Why do we need Python?
Python is a very popular programming language this time. Both beginners and experienced tend to choose Python for their application developments. There is a number of reasons for choosing Python. Some of them are as follows:
- The syntax of Python code is very simple when compared to other programming languages such as C++, C#, Java, and JavaScript.
- Python has a huge number of built-in libraries, packages, data structures, and pre-built functions that speeds up the development work.
- Database interfaces can also be applied in Python for almost every DBMS system.
- Because of its portability, we can run programs on a wide range of operating systems and platforms.
- Complex programming can be made easier by using Python.
- Python also has internal memory addresses and an inbuilt garbage collector.
- Functional and iterative programming can easily be applied in Python.
- Most popularly, Python is used for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence applications. It is also useful for finding data insights and analytics.
- Python makes the writing of code and debugging far easier than other programming languages.
- It also has an interactive shell in which you can test your application before you go for its implementation.
History of Java
In this section, we will see some important points related to the History of Java below:
- The Java language project was started in June 1991 by James Gosling, Mike Sheridan, and Patrick Naughton.
- Initially, Java was called “Greentalk” by James Gosling with the file extension type “.gt”.
- After that, it was called “Oak” by all the developers of the Green Project.
- Initially, Java was designed to be used in small and embedded systems in Electronic items such as Set-top boxes, etc.
- Later in 1995, Sun Microsystems changed its name to “Java” and also modified the language so that it can be used for the development of web and business applications. Also, the extension of the Java language was changed to “.java” by Sun Microsystems.
- In 2009, Sun Microsystems was acquired by Oracle Corporation and became the owner of MySQL, Java, and Solaris.
History of Python
Python is the most used programming language and there are some useful points from the History of Python as follows:
- The implementation of actual Python development started in December 1989. However, the foundation of Python started in the late 1980s.
- Guido Van Rossum started the implementation of Python at CWI in the Netherlands.
- The first code of Python with its labeled version (0.9.0) was published in February 1991 by Guido Van Rossum.
- Python 1.0 was first released in 1994 including the features such as map, filter, lambda, and reduce.
- After that new versions started coming up with newly added features.
- Python was derived from a programming language named “ABC programming language”.
- At present, Python has taken 48.24% of the market share of all the programming languages.
- Python is still maintained by its development team along with Guido Van Rossum.
Features of Java
Java has a number of features that include the following:
- Java is language independent and therefore “write once, run everywhere” is popular.
- Java is mainly designed for the development of object-oriented applications.
- Java also provides the distributed computing of the internet.
- It is a multithreaded programming language that is capable of managing memory automatically.
- Java can be mastered easily if you have a great understanding of the concepts of OOPs.
- Java’s security features make it virus free and help in creating temper-free systems.
- Its Just-In-Time compilers make it a high-performance programming language.
Features of Python
The features of Python Programming language are as follows:
- The syntax of Python is very easy which makes it easier to learn and code.
- Python can be run on any platform by using the same interface.
- It has large community support from all over the world.
- Python has an interactive module for the testing and debugging of applications.
- Python can be integrated easily with other programming languages such as C, C++, and Java.
- The data types of python are dynamic in nature.
- Python is considered the ideal programming language by popular developers for large programs and applications.
- The low-level modules can also be included in the Python interpreter.
Java vs Python
Both the programming languages Java and Python are very useful for developmental activities. However, choosing one of them can be hard for a beginner. Therefore, some of the differences between Java and Python are described below:
| Parameter | Java | Python |
| Definition | Java is an object-oriented, platform-independent, and compiled language. | Python is an object-oriented and interpreted language. |
| Learning Curve | The learning curve of java is complex. | Python’s learning curve shows that it’s easy to learn and master. |
| Speed | The programs written in Java take time in execution. | Programs written in Python run faster than Java. |
| Line of codes | It takes 10 lines of code to read a file. | It only takes 2 lines of code to read a file. |
| Syntax | Syntax of Java programs is a little hard and you will get an error just for missing a semicolon in the program. | The syntax of the Python program is easier than Java. |
| Databases | Java’s JDBC connectivity is very powerful and therefore it is more popular than Python. | The access layers of Python’s database are weaker as compared to Java’s JDBC. |
| Libraries used for ML | Weka, MOA, DeepLearning, Mallet, etc. | Pytorch, Tensorflow, etc. |
| Architecture | JVM of Java is very useful as it provides the runtime environment for the execution of our programs. JVM is also responsible for the conversion of source code into machine code. | Python doesn’t have any Virtual Machine, the interpreter of python translates the source code into machine code by itself. |
| Portability | Any machine on which it is easy to run JVM can run Java programs. Therefore, Java is considered more portable than Python. | To run the Python programs, you need to install Python Interpreter on the machine. Therefore, it’s less portable. |
| Popular Use | Java is mainly used for the development of web and desktop applications. | Python is mostly used for scientific research and Machine learning applications. |
| Popular Organisations using it | Instagram, Spotify, Airbnb, Netflix, etc. | Google, Uber Technologies, Dropbox, etc. |
Advantages & Disadvantages of Java
Here we will discuss the advantages & disadvantages of Java:
Advantages:
- Java is an object-oriented programming language that allows you to create program modules and makes it easy to reuse the code.
- One of the most popular advantages of Java is that it is platform-independent. Any device which is compatible with running JVM can be used to code Java programs.
- The multi-threaded environment of Java is very useful for the conversion of big programs and tasks into small threads.
- Java is a secure programming language that doesn’t use Explicit pointers.
Disadvantages:
- Java’s compiler JIT is comparatively slow and takes time to compile the programs.
- You cannot implement low-level programming in Java.
- You cannot access Java’s garbage collector.
- Java requires high processing power and memory which increases the hardware cost resulting in an increased overall cost of development.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Python
In this section, we will see some advantages and disadvantages of Python:
Advantages:
- Python is easy to learn, code, and understand.
- As it is an interpreted language, the code directly runs in the execution environment.
- Python is written dynamically and therefore you don’t need to worry about re-declaring variables and their data types.
- Python is portable to run the code on different platforms and you don’t even have to change the code. You just need Python to be installed on that machine and that’s it, you can easily run that code.
Disadvantages:
- Python is less used for mobile computing and hence less compatible for mobile app development.
- Python is an interpreted language that makes it slower than other languages.
- Python is used only on a few platforms.
- There is no commercial support for Python.
Conclusion:
Now, we have concluded that choosing one between Python and Java is somewhere difficult. But, one should choose it wisely by viewing its advantages and disadvantages. Also, you need to see your requirements. For an instance, whether you want to develop an application or implement machine learning applications, then you have to look at which can be the better programming language for your requirements. As we all know, every programming language has its benefits and disadvantages. Somewhere you might require Java or sometimes Python. It depends on your needs. We hope this article will help you to choose the best programming language between java vs python based on your needs.
FAQs
Python and Java both are the most popular and mostly used object-oriented programming languages. However, Java is generally faster than Python. It is also more efficient because it is a compiled programming language. But one should decide the programming language based on the needs and the time you have to learn any of these languages.
As we already discussed in the conclusion that it depends on the requirements. For example, if you want to create some applications with high-end graphics installed in it with great UI, then Python can be the best option for you. Or if you want to develop some game applications, then you can choose Java. Hence, you will have to look at what you need and then choose the best language.
If we look from the salary point of view, then a Python developer gets more salary than Java Developer. The average salary of a Python developer in the United States is around $118,626 per year which is high than a Java developer which is $103,464 per year.
Java is becoming a more instrumental programming language and it is also older than Python came into view. But still, the requirement for Java developers is on the rise. The requirement of a Python Developer is also on top. But if you want a stable programming language then you might choose Java. Although Python is also a stable programming language as of now. But choosing Java is better for the future.
According to the index of TIOBE (The Importance of Being Earnest), if Python keeps going up this pace, then it might be possible that it will replace the Java programming language.
As per a survey of StackOverflow in 2019, it says that Java is one of the top five languages used mostly by professionals. You can also see around you, that the companies are still in requirement of Java developers. Therefore, a lot of jobs are there in this field. And it is enough to learn Java to get a job. But you should keep in mind to learn the applications of Java too such as game development, desktop applications, etc.
The answer to this question is both Yes and NO. Because it depends on you how much time you give to learn Java. If you learn Java with complete dedication and proper time, then you will get to know about the basics of Java programming language. However, mastering the Java language will take much time as it has a complex learning curve.
No, Python only is not enough to get a job. Instead, you will have to be flexible and learn other programming languages too. We encourage you to Master a single programming language but also have a basic knowledge of other languages too. You will also have to learn the applications of Python in some fields such as Machine Learning and Data Science. It will help you to get a job.
Learning java by yourself is not difficult because there is a huge number of resources available on the internet. And almost everyone has access to the internet at this time. So it doesn’t matter what is your age and experience, if you are willing to learn Java programming language on your own, then you will find your path on the internet and the resources for it.
