this post was submitted on 31 May 2025
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I attribute Java's uptake to a large amount of marketing and support, which led to a massive ecosystem. Even a mediocre language like this one can find success when propped up like that.
OOP was hype during the 90s. Schools adapted their curriculum to this trend. So they needed a programming language for this, and Java became the choice. C++ is too tricky as a first language.
The result is that a lot of people knew Java, which means it’s a good choice of language if you want to recruit programmers.
I believe most of Java’s success was luck. It released at the perfect time.
You don't think the $500 million marketing budget Sun put towards Java has anything to do with its success? It was more than just luck.
I don’t think the $500 million marketing budget would’ve worked if Java was introduced at a time other than the 90s.
The 80s would’ve been too early. It would just turn into a parenthesis in programming language history (next to smalltalk). The 00s would’ve been too late. It would’ve missed the dotcom bubble boat. Java came in the right time to become a dominant programming language.
I’m not saying the marketing didn’t have any influence. It probably had an big influence in which OOP language was selected for computer science education.