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Re:Programming Language Rankings: February 2012 by trimbo on Monday July 02, 2012 @12:40PM (#4189579)
I chose Java for a major (non-android) project last year (other potential choices were Ruby, C++ and Scala). It's a great middle ground. Statically typed, fast and well known with very good tooling. I've ended up loving it because it works well for what it is and is super practical, not because it's a beautiful, perfect language.
Re:Programming Language Rankings: February 2012 by runn1ng on Monday July 02, 2012 @04:06PM (#4190693)
What I really dislike on Java is that you have to repeat yourself, over and over and over.

For example, you have to write all these getters and setters ad nauseam, even if all they do is just setting the damn variable. Or the anonymous classes, the syntax is horrible.

Now I understand that the object model is simple and easy to understand, but still, I prefer Scala more. It works with java, but it's many times easier to actually use.

Re:Programming Language Rankings: February 2012 by mark_l_watson on Monday July 02, 2012 @07:39PM (#4191662)
Unless I am coding for a "picky customer" I use what I refer to as Java Lite: public instance variables, shallow package hierarchy, etc. I have been using Java since the beginning and have written several books on Java so (at least for my own stuff) I feel comfortable breaking the rules.

I also format code to match a small but wide monitor (MacBook Air 13) and although a lot of people would understandably not like the longer line formatting using up to 100 columns, my code density is good - a typical method easily fits on my display. I also favor short classes.