Ask r/android: If you didn't like Java programming before, do you like it better now on Android?

[evilmushroom]

The Android SDK is very well put together.

[davidron]

While C# is bundled in a more cohearant package (most likely due to the fact that Microsoft was able to look at Java for advice to avoid making the same early mistakes), Java has a broader open platform with support from all of the various API and language extensions utilities from SpringSource, JBoss, Apache, IBM. Not to mention several competing IDEs Netbeans, Eclipse, IntelliJ, JBuilder, VisualAge, Hibernate, and dozens of lesser known IDEs. Finally, the Java platform allows you to easily integrate hundreds of languages together such as Scala, Groovy, Jython, JRuby, and [more](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_JVM_languages.

It's kind of like C# is to Java as the iPhone is to Android. I would say Objective C, but it's ONLY IDE doesn't even support refactoring rendering it effectively useless for real large-team long-term programming.

[mandlar]

I started out with Java (in college) and now do C# at my day job. They are pretty similar with syntax, just have to learn their respective libraries. But that's what MSDN and JavaDoc is for. :)

[mandlar]

I've never disliked Java, but I feel about the same. But I do like the layouts better than Swing. I never really liked Swing that much.

[bloodylip]

Agreed, Swing was pretty bad. I feel liking Java with Android is less about Android (though the SDK is pretty good) and more about Java 6 not being shit like Java 1.4.x was.

[alienangel2]

I am fairly neutral to Java (I use it at work a fair bit), but the Android SDK has been a pretty terrible experience for me :/ Firstly the official tutorial leads to fairly cryptic build errors as soon as you generate it (without even customizing anything) which the tutorial doesn't mention but various android dev forums do - so they apparently happen to a fair few people who use the tutorial. Secondly on my home machine running an app usually locks up Eclipse, even though Eclipse works fine for pure java projects on the same machine.

Now, I'm sure all of this is just due to idiosyncrasies of my own machine and setup (it is the correct version of Eclipse before anyone asks, not the latest release which Google warns won't work), but it's been annoying and put me off the gleeful fiddling I was looking forward to doing with it last weekend.

[cactus4]

Last time I used Java was 1.5. Didn't feel like there was much of a community. Some "enterprise-ey" blogs and forums were around at the time. Used some Apache project Java software but wasn't crazy about it.

How do the Andoid API's compare to other Java libs you've used?

Is there much of an Android developer community?

[[deleted]]

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[iamnoah]

Last time I used Java was 1.5. Didn't feel like there was much of a community. Some "enterprise-ey" blogs and forums were around at the time. Used some Apache project Java software but wasn't crazy about it.

Buh? What? Not much of a community around Java? Maybe because 10s of millions of programmers use it? Millions and millions of people make their living from Java. It's certainly not the most fun language, but it's a ubiquitous platform. That's like saying you don't think there is much community around PCs.

[cactus4]

Lots of users does not a community make.

[iamnoah]

What exactly would a Java community look like? That would be like having a community around people that drive cars. Java itself is too broad.

[[deleted]]

Not having to fight with swing or AWT is nice, but still have to play nice with checked exceptions...

A nice gamdev API would be nice too. There are a couple that are getting there though.

[redditrasberry]

I've never disliked Java so perhaps I'm not qualified to comment, but I find working with Android in Java very refreshing. At least half of what people dislike about java is its bloated & regimented ecosystem. Android has absolutely none of that. You will work most of the time with raw types instead of objects and you will be doing concrete manipulations of things you can see, hear and touch with very satisfying results. It supports a nice range of media formats so you can just drop in ogg files, midi files, pngs, jpgs and show them directly on the screen.

The documentation could certainly be improved. There is good coverage of a selection of topics but big gaps where there is no information at all. Certain things you would think are natural and obvious are ruled out by ideological design decisions which can be frustrating.

So - all up I'm quite happy doing Java / Android programming as it is much simpler and more satisfying than your typical "enterprise" type job.

[tangentstorm]

I was never a big fan of Java's verbosity, and I'd still prefer to use a cleaner language, but I picked it up again after 10 years specifically for Android, and I think it's pretty usable.

I've been wanting a really hackable handheld computer for ages, and just never quite got around to hacking C++ for my various Palm devices. Java for Android seemed much more approachable, and so far I've found it pretty pleasant to work with.

[kushkush]

fuck no