java is a cocksucker bcause it has to update every fuckig day and most of the applets don't work anymore on the interent
C++ is like that on-again-off-again girlfriend that I know so well and can be really comfortable around. Java is like some new girl you find in a bar and have a brief, angry, passionate fling with before moving on to a different one.
(Edited 31 seconds later.)
C# would be more useful for you these days, although C++ will forever be my first love.
Depends on what you want to use it for. C++ is good if you really need to run code as fast as the hardware will allow it. You most likely won't need this unless you want to make games. And if you want to make games I can already go ahead and tell you that you will fail since you asked this question. Besides, there's the cost of using C++ where you need to be very careful not to screw up. Even the tiniest mistake can easily create huge security vulnerabilities or just cause your program to crash in unexpected ways.
Nowadays Java is a lot more practical to learn, especially when starting out. Most big businesses work with Java so that is where the money is. It's much easier to write quality code in Java, and you will be able to find a lot more programmers who are capable of writing good Java than you will be able to find developers that write decent C++.
It does depend on what you want to target. All software that is actually worth any money runs on a server somewhere, not on end-user computers. If you want to make programs ran by users then Java is fine, but it carries some stigma due to misunderstandings already shown in
@634,570 (Sheila LaBoof). Many idiot users believe Java is the devil because of Java Applets. Java Applets were Java programs ran in the browser, and they were indeed terrible. They also introduced quite a lot of security vulnerabilities. For a long time now, Java Applets are no longer a thing. The plugin does not ship by default anymore, so now when you hear someone complaining about security vulnerabilities related to Java they are telling you that they have no idea what they're talking about.
As for the updates, I don't see why having software get updated is a bad thing. And there's only been 66 updates for Java 8 which got released March 18, 2014.
If you do want to make applications ran by end-users on their own (Windows) machines then C# is a really good choice as well.
So, to summarize:
- When making server/business software (programming work that actually earns you money), definitely Java
- When maxing out your hardware (games), C++
- When writing desktop programs intended to be downloaded and ran on (Windows) computers, Java or C#
- When making websites, modern Java EE is also a pretty good choice for businesses. But there's plenty of other options.
(Edited 1 minute later.)
@previous (r04r)
java is shit, kill it and kill flash and adobe pdf while we're at it
@previous (Sheila LaBoof)
I'm glad you managed to provide such an insightful comment.
@previous (r04r)
you watch your fuckin' mouth