Talk:Java (programming language)

Versions?

This article has a section on 'editions' (SE, ME, etc). But nothing on the differences between versions. Java 1.7 (and 1.8, though not yet finalized) is in some ways quite a different languages from 1.0. Does anyone think there ought to be a 'Versions' section with brief notes on the main changes (or perhaps just the language changes) in each version? These could include links to information on the relevant topic elsewhere on WP. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.186.147.69 (talk) 21:47, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

List of Java Frameworks

Please add the page "List of Java Frameworks" to the "see also" section. 2003:C0:873B:8B00:E03F:D261:D63C:AB57 (talk) 10:35, 8 September 2023 (UTC)

 Done by ThisIsNeverUsed in Special:Diff/1180342405. — Chrisahn (talk) 08:52, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

Duke

Any background on the "mascot"? Who made it? What is it supposed to look like? Why "Duke"? --BjKa (talk) 11:51, 23 April 2024 (UTC)

See Duke (mascot). Could be extended with info from https://dev.java/duke/. — Chrisahn (talk) 08:58, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

Bring back the simple hello world program

It's unfortunate that this was removed. While the syntax can be relocated to a different wiki page, I believe it's valuable to have a small example of a Java program here. 87.173.237.209 (talk) 14:21, 31 May 2024 (UTC)

Coming in java 25 LTS (due 2025/09/16):

 void main() {
    System.out.println("Hello, World!");
 }

--2A10:BCC6:871:0:9F3:9B68:7E53:AAFF (talk) 11:02, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Slightly shorter in Java 25:

void main() {
  IO.println("Hello, World!");
}

Chrisahn (talk) 08:54, 5 September 2025 (UTC)

History

The article currently says Sun Microsystems released the first public implementation as Java 1.0 in 1996 yet the authority it cites says Since its announcement in May 1995, Java has been widely used. Therefore I am not sure when the first public implementation was released. Sam Tomato (talk) 05:18, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

Yeah, currently the history section and the date in the infobox disagree. We need to figure this out. PhotographyEdits (talk) 20:01, 29 April 2025 (UTC)

The announcement was in May 1995. And the public release was in 1996. There is no conflict? -- --2A10:BCC6:871:0:9F3:9B68:7E53:AAFF (talk) 11:02, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Request for comment regarding Java "Hello, world" program

Java 25 introduces a new "Hello, world" program:

void main() {
    IO.println("Hello, world!");
}

contrasting the traditional, more verbose version:

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello, world!");
    }
}

While I personally prefer to present modern examples of code as much as possible, it is still undeniable that the second (older) example is essentially ubiquitous in both the literature and any tutorials on the language. Indeed the first is perhaps far more beginner-friendly (avoids having to demonstrate keywords and constructs that are new to a beginner), however it is still far too recent to be accepted as the Java "Hello, world" program. This is the case on the C++ page, which similarly has a "Hello, world" program that is superseded by a newer version. For this reason I want to gather comments regarding which "Hello, world" program is preferred and appropriate to show. I started a similar RfC on the C++ page as well. 24.50.56.74 (talk) 18:03, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Good point. We should probably show both, for the time being. — Chrisahn (talk) 18:44, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

I like the first one better, because it seems to be simpler, but I think we should keep both. Jay =^•ﻌ•^= 19:36, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

In context, I agree that keeping both is the most constructive option, especially as both options still occur in the wild. To anyone who feels that showing just one example would be more parsimonious, I suggest that to quibble about such a triviality is counter-productive.

Anyway, users who are not yet familiar with the realities of software design history might profit from seeing a material example. Seasoned users will remember far more complex examples of changes from the earlier versions of now-standard languages, say COBOL and more.

And our job is primarily to assist the reader, and the more naive the reader, the more valuable assistance with perspective could be. JonRichfield (talk) 09:41, 8 October 2025 (UTC)

Yeah I agree with you. Lets have them both. I think we have consensus. Jay =^•ﻌ•^= 18:15, 8 October 2025 (UTC)