Java

Java is a portable language developed by Sun to compete with C++. It has borrowed many aspects of the C++ language, although it seems to be a little easier for beginning programmers to learn. The programs you develop can be platform independent, and most can run embedded in Web pages. The language became popular seemingly overnight, with thousands of developers rushing to learn the new offering. There are thousands of Web sites, newsgroups, and message boards for Java programmers. Add to this the large numbers of books and learning resources, and you have a relatively easy to learn language with a tremendous number of resources.

Similar to Visual Basic, Java uses a runtime engine called a virtual machine to execute Java programs. This makes applications slower than truly compiled programs, but new technologies like just-in-time compilers have greatly enhanced the speed at which Java programs execute. It is very portable, but user interface elements often have to be rewritten to work on different platforms. There are not many commercial games written in Java, but this will probably change in the future as many developers become better acquainted with the language and speed improvements continue to unfold.