10 Reasons to Consider Java for Embedded Systems Programming

Java as a high level programming language has grown over the years into a full-fledged language with an enormous user base. It is used extensively for instance, in building web applications with frameworks such as Spring Boot.   Java has also found a formidable utilization in programming embedded systems, and this is due to the following reasons:

1. It is a complete object-oriented programming (OOP) language. The application program consists of classes, objects, and interfaces.
2. Java has a huge class library on network that makes program development fast.
3. Java has in-built support for creating multiple threads. It avoids the need for an OS-based scheduler for handling threads.
4. Java generates byte codes. These are executed on an installed JVM (Java virtual machine) on a machine. Virtual machine takes the Java byte codes in the input and runs on the given platform (processor, system and OS). Virtual machine (VM) in embedded system is stored in the ROM. Hence, Java codes can be hosted on different platforms. Platform independence in hosting the compiled code allows Java for network applications.
5. Platform independence provides portability with respect to the processor and OS used. Thus Java is considered as write once and run anywhere.
6. Java has extensibility.
7. Java is the language used in most web applications and allows machines of different types to communicate on the web.
8. Java is robust in the sense that there are no occurrence of memory leaks and memory-related errors.
9. Java doesn’t allow dual way of manipulation of value and reference. There are no structures, typedef and union. Java doesn’t allow multiple inheritance, additionally Java doesn’t allow operator overloading except for the ‘plus’ sign used for string concatenation.
10. Java is easier to learn by anyone who has some background in OOP, say C++ programmer, or Python programmer.

You may also read:

• Programming Embedded Systems in Assembly Language vs. High Level Language
• What is Embedded Java?
• An Overview of Assembly Language for Programming Microcontrollers
• Features of an Embedded System
• Embedded Processor vs. Embedded Microcontroller

Related: Beginner’s Step-by-Step Coding Course: Learn Computer Programming the Easy Way 

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Author: John Mulindi

John Mulindi has a background in a technical field and he writes on topics ranging from automation, computer systems, embedded systems, mechatronics to measurement and control. View all posts by John Mulindi