A High Level Java Overview

Java was designed with a couple of main purposes in mind

to be Object Oriented from the beginning,
as a “write once, run anywhere” model, so that code doesn’t have to be rewritten

While the idea behind Java hasn’t always held true, where lots of front end code would be written and run equally on PCs, Macs, and Linux machines, it has become a powerhouse, especially in back-end business applications. Java is typically one of the most sought after programming languages in the US and other countries. While it may vary based upon region and company, it is a good language to know if you are looking for a first time job.

C/C++ has influenced many languages, and in some ways, birthed those languages. Java is one of those languages, so when you look at Java syntax, you will find it very familiar, here are some of the similarities between Java and C++:

using a semi-colon at the end of a statement,
basic syntax for loops, conditions, and more,
use of a main function,
same style comments,
and many more.

Although with new versions of Java it has diverged some over the years from C++, especially as it has added features not in C++, the basic syntax will stay the same.

In future segments, we look at how to create a new file, create a main method, use variables, conditions, loops, and more.

A High Level Java Overview was originally found on Access 2 Learn

Walter Wimberly

Assistant Professor

Walter Wimberly is an Assistant Professor at a regional college in Tennessee, teaching Computer Science in the Software Engineering track. He works as a student advisor, oversees curriculum changes, develops new courses, and manages the advisory panel.
Walter taught full time for about 7 years, before going back into “industry” as a full stack Software Developer for a dozen years. There he focused on web based projects coding in JavaScript/jQuery and utilizing the Bootstrap CSS Framework on the front-end, and coding in PHP, ASP/ASP.Net, SQL on the back-end.

Since he loves teaching, he taught as an adjunct web and digital media classes for eight (8) years, while working in industry, and has since returned to teaching full time.

He has been married for over 25 years, and is father to several special needs boys. As such, he is working on some projects to help others who have special needs to be self-sufficient, and support the care givers of those with special needs. Check out his Autism blog for more info.

Java

Java Sets

ByWalter Wimberly April 12, 2022April 12, 2022

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Java

Java’s main Method

ByWalter Wimberly July 3, 2021July 3, 2021

Just like in C++, each executable Java project should have a main method. This isn’t just the “main” method that is run, but an actual method called main(). If you look at the previous page for creating a file, we can start from there. This will be a little different from the C++ main method,…

Java

Java Variables

ByWalter Wimberly July 3, 2021July 3, 2021

Inside of a method, like our main method, we might want to create some variables for use. Java gives us numerous primitive data types that we can use, and within a method, we declare and use them, just like we would in C/C++. Comments You might have noticed the comment above. Comments in Java are…

Java

In Introduction to Exceptions in Java

ByWalter Wimberly October 11, 2021October 11, 2021

Exceptions are a type of error that a Java application might produce if there is a problem. Now one potential issue with this is that Java has both Exceptions and Errors, so lets discuss those real quick. Error: indicates serious problem that a reasonable application should not try to catch. These tend to deal with issues…

Java

Conditions in Java

ByWalter Wimberly July 4, 2021August 30, 2023

You will find conditions in Java familiar if you are used to using boolean conditions in C/C++. However, noticed that I said boolean conditions. That is because Java wants boolean conditions, those that generate a true or false answer, instead of the C/C++ conditions which actually look for an integer value. Notice the following below…

Java

Java Stacks

ByWalter Wimberly April 10, 2022April 10, 2022

The Stack class is found in java.util and it extends the Vector Class. This means it can grow and shrink as needed, which is helpful for a Stack. As it extends a Vector, it is helpful to Parameterize the constructor. Just like the Stack that we’ve created, it has the same methods: push(), pop(), and…

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