8 Fun Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Java
If you’re looking for ways to impress your coworkers this week, why not jump-start the conversation with some neat facts about Java?
The Duke.
Java’s mascot, “the Duke” was created by Joe Palrang, the same guy who worked on the movie Shrek. He’s become quite a celebrity too – a life-size Duke is present at most JavaOne conferences.
There are over 9 million Java developers across the Earth.
That’s more than the population of New York City!
It was originally called Oak.
Named by James Gosling, a developer for Sun Microsystems, he took inspiration from the oak tree that stood outside his office. It was changed to Java after the creators were commonly found discussing ideas for the language at a local coffee shop.
Google vs. Oracle.
In 2010, Oracle launched 2 lawsuits surrounding the use of Java in Android operating systems worth $8.8 billion[i]. The case was finally settled in 2016 in favour of Google and today, more than half[ii] of all smartphones run on Android systems.
Java was invented by accident.
James Gosling and his team were cleaning up C++ and accidently wound up with a new language.
Final Doesn’t Always Mean Final!
Final has 4 meanings in Java[iii]:
– Final Field: Used for constant field
– Final Class: Class can’t be extended
– Final Variable: Once assigned, the variable value cannot be changed
– Final Method: This method cannot be overridden.
Downloads.
Java gets downloaded one billion times a year [iv]!
It’s one of the most popular languages for coders in the world!
According to indeed.com, it was the top language for new job postings, offering over 60,000 new positions in last year alone[v].
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