The language you choose to code in can determine not only the quality of the resulting program or website, but also the production schedules and frustration levels of your team. Languages like Python, PHP and C++ each have their own merits, but must be understood in terms of their relevance to particular projects.

At Quirk, we've found Java to be the most efficient, versatile and useful platform for our web development. Here are 5 reasons why:

Java is Platform Neutral
Unlike many other languages, Java is portable across a number of systems and browsers. What this means is that a program written with Java will run on any operating system or browser, be it Mac, PC, Windows Explorer or Firefox without needing to be recompiled. This is particularly useful at Quirk, where everyone has their favourite operating system!

Having to re-write programs according to the platform would be a massive waste of time, which makes Java’s write-once-run-anywhere (WORA) goal all the more useful. 

Java Has a Lot of Community Support
Java is a mature language with a large user community. This means not only that a lot of bugs have been sorted, making it really stable, but also that there are tons of resources available for learning about and working with Java. More support equals greater efficiency and more potential employees likely to know how to work with Java as well. In fact, the number of libraries available to handle common programming tasks is unrivalled.

Java Offers Top Notch (And Free) Developer Tools
Another great draw-card for Java is that its support for developer tools is very strong. A developer tool is software that assists in the production of new software, like visual programming tools.

The one we use at Quirk is called Eclipse, which is an excellent and free tool. Java thus simultaneously meets the needs of our tech and design teams.
 
Great Server Side Technology
Java applets may not have taken off, but as the engine powering websites, Java is here to stay. The language offers enterprise features that a scripting language might not, enabling large, complex applications to be built with a modular architecture. 

There are a number of excellent open source Java application servers to choose from, which provide a solid framework to manage resources and component lifecycles.

The South African Government is Keen on Open Source
The South African Government endorses open source languages. The sharing of resources and information is a philosophy that makes sense to us here at Quirk as well, and the reason we choose to use an open source language like Java.

So there you have it, our 5 reasons for choosing Java. Whatever language you use, you should be able to list at least 5 reasons why it's the best choice for you and your particular system's needs.