Book Image

Introduction to JVM Languages

Book Image

Introduction to JVM Languages

Overview of this book

Anyone who knows software development knows about the Java Virtual Machine. The Java Virtual Machine is responsible for interpreting Java byte code and translating it into actions. In the beginning, Java was the only programming language used for the JVM. But increasing complexity of the language and the remarkable performance of the JVM created an opening for a new generation of programming languages. If you want to build a strong foundation with the Java Virtual Machine and get started with popular modern programming languages, then this book is for you. The book will begin with a general introduction of the JVM and its features, which are common to the JVM languages, helping you get abreast with its concepts. It will then dive into explaining languages such as Java, Scala, Clojure, Kotlin, and Groovy and will show how to work with each language, their features, use cases, and pros and cons. By writing example projects in those languages and focusing on each language’s strong points, it will help you find the programming language that is most appropriate for your particular needs. By the end of the book, you will have written multiple programs that run on the Java Virtual Machine and know about the differences between the various languages.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)

Dynamic and static programming


A major difference between statically typed and dynamically typed programming languages is that for the former, the compiler resolves method calls and compiles references in the compiled program (in the case of a JVM language in the generated Java byecode), while in a dynamic programming language such as Groovy, Clojure, and Python, these decisions are taken while running the program.

As always in life, both the approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages:

Programming Style

Advantages

Disadvantages

Static

  • Applications run fast
  • Many trivial errors are caught in the compile phase
  • Top-notch IDE support, offering excellent refactoring tools that increase productivity a lot
  • Compilation phase generally takes up considerable time
  • Often requires writing of more code to satisfy the compiler

Dynamic

  • Typically requires less code to be written
  • Compilation phase is generally very fast
  • Offers meta-programming tricks
  • Applications often perform less well.
  • Most errors are detected...