java vs c++ Which one is better to learn, Java or C++?

[TheGodlyJorts]

I'm would consider myself fairly new to the programming field, Knowing the basics of Web programming (HTML, javascript, CSS), python and c++, and I was just wondering is it worthwhile to learn Java?  From what I've read (not much), C++ can do almost anything that java can do.  So my questions are as Following:

 

1. Are There any distinct differences between Java and C++?
   1. what are they?
2. is there Any reason to learn java if I am somewhat familiar with c++?

[Oshino Shinobu]

Depends what you want to do. 

 

Java is used in a ridiculous amount of devices, so it's worth learning, though C++ is generally more powerful. 

[r4tch3t]

Java was derived from c++

Yes, it is beneficial to know multiple coding languages.

Things site seems to have a good list of some of the differences

http://www.computing.dcu.ie/~renaat/projects/cvjava.html

[Ryujin2003]

I've been working on a project where everything related to GUI his Java. Reach have their strengths and weaknesses. Slightly different approaches as well as speed and performance benefits. But it's definitely important to learn. It's used on a lot of applications. Better to diversify than not.

[tp95112]

I say Java caused its used in almost everything

[ARikozuM]

Whichever. Learning how to code Java or C++ are both good choices. 

[Gastric Penguin]

Java often relies on external libraries for certain things and needs a lot of bloat to do even the simplest tasks. C++ can do anything and teaches you more about how things work, and there is more room for improvements/optimizations because you are not limited by a runtime/vm. If you're new to programming and want to learn a lot I'd recommend plain old C actually. A lot of Linux/open source software is written in C - reading the code of other people can teach you a lot more than books ever could!

[NoRomanBatmansAllowed]

What are you looking to do? If you're trying to get into competitive programming C++ is much better because you can optimize stuff properly and tons of the algorithms have already been implemented in C++.

 

Java is great for day-to-day programming. There's almost a library out there for everything and the package management and debugging is really nice.

 

If you're looking for a job, both these languages would be great.

[wasab]

C++ usually has higher performance than java. You can see it clearly in java vs c++ video from android authority channel on YouTube. 

 

Java is good for cross platform. You can pretty much write it once and it can run anywhere, macs, Linux, windows, bsd, Unix, you name it. I use it mainly for android app devwlopment

 

i am learning c++ now alongside one of its GUI, QT5

[void_presence]

As mentioned already, it depends on what you want to do.  But here are a few of my observations:
 

C++:

Generally better to learn as it is used for most main-stream applications.  It's very powerful but development is usually for a single platform.

Java:
Excellent learning language but it shouldn't be your only language.  Many devices/programs use it, but it is kind of losing foothold for various reasons (such as security issues).  Development is pretty much for all platforms that support it.

Ultimately, learn both.  Start with Java then once you're comfortable with programming it's easy to transfer over--most programming concepts are universal.

[Tiberiusisgame]

I don't know how many folks have used either of these languages beyond academia. Frankly, you should learn to program, not a language. If you learn a single language, you're fairly useless as a developer outside of a niché which will quickly drain you. Many projects these days also require more than a single language throughout the development cycle and being flexible is always favorable.

 

For a first language, folks have so many more options available to them today, like Python. Take a crack at Python first. They offer free tutorials and you can use the site to run your code rather than installing a bunch of software. It will help to skip over the annoying idiosyncracies.

 

https://www.python.org/

[MyName13]

4 hours ago, void_presence said:

 

C++:

Generally better to learn as it is used for most main-stream applications.  It's very powerful but development is usually for a single platform.

 

Really?Are you sure it's used more than JS, PHP, Java and C#?

[Cdpopham]

If you are looking to try and start a career in the software industry today, Java is hands down the better choice. 

It is the native way to develop on Android, almost every platform has some sort of support for the JVM. It is your standard Object Oriented language, so those skills will port nicely to other big languages such as C#, Swift/Objective C (IOS). Not to mention the big data platforms such as Hadoop are typically Java based. Just look at it's market share, well over 15%.. if you are not going to go the 'big data' route with it, python or C# is another good choice. Python is all the rage with the tech companies these days. My domain C# is the heart of business software everywhere. 

[Fetzie]

On 02/02/2018 at 4:11 PM, Tiberiusisgame said:

For a first language, folks have so many more options available to them today, like Python. Take a crack at Python first. They offer free tutorials and you can use the site to run your code rather than installing a bunch of software. It will help to skip over the annoying idiosyncracies.

 

https://www.python.org/

Python is quite easy to pick up due to its very human-readable code, however its error messages aren't always the easiest to understand for a rookie.

[Beskamir]

I'd suggest learning C# rather than Java since it's basically Java done right. Although I really like C++ and it's probably well worth learning. Especially if you want performance in whatever you're making.

[straight_stewie]

On 1/29/2018 at 9:56 PM, TheGodlyJorts said:

Knowing the basics of Web programming (HTML, javascript, CSS), python and c++

You said you already know the basics of three languages, including one of the languages you are asking about.

I guess I would first ask: Are you an expert in any of those languages?

[Spev]

There's many differences between Java and C++. Here's just a few of the biggies:

 

Memory management:
C++, most memory management is done by the programmer manually
Java, has a garbage collector which will deal with a lot of things for you

 

Pass arguments into functions by value or reference:
C++ you can pass objects into functions as pass by value or pass by reference.
Java passes arguments by value and not by reference.

Inheritance:
C++ supports multiple inheritance. Can cause classic problems such as the diamond problem.
Java does not support multiple inheritance. Interfaces can be used to deal with this, similar to C#.

 

 

Java is a very popular programming language still today. It's commonly used in web applications, web services, and Android apps for starters. Although alternatives exist for mobile app development like Kotlin, Java was and is a huge part of Android development. I think exploring the differences between Java and C++ would be useful to you as a programmer even if you don't plan on developing much in Java.

 

Like most programming languages, the choice of a languages for a project is heavily influenced by what the project is and what kind of tool set would benefit it most. Are you working with embedded systems? Probably want C/C++. Going to implement a web service? Probably a web framework along with Java.

 

I think overall if you're just trying to learn programming C++ is better. Since you do a lot more things manually than you would in Java it's a good experience for learning, especially regarding memory management. 

[JacobFW]

Honestly, if you're already fairly comfortable with C++, Javascript, & Python, then no, you probably don't need to.  And if you have job or project where you end up needing to use Java, you'll be able to pick it up fairly quickly.  It's always much easier to learn a new programming language if you have a project by which you can grade yourself.

 

Generally, the two hardest things about learning a new language are 

1. Syntax
2. Terminology

Thankfully, pretty much everything these days uses more or less the same syntax as C/C++, and while the terminology can sometimes vary (often for obtuse reason because the language designers just had to be different) the concepts are similar enough that you can easily ask others help in online forums and they'll know what you're talking about.  

 

Not to mention the fact that you know multiple languages means you likely have a better grasp of the concepts, which will make it even easier.

 

TL;DR

Naw bro, you good.