4. Other Advantages of Java

Besides those mentioned in Sections 2 and 3, Java has some other advantages as a teaching language:

Low cost. The tools needed to build and test Java programs are available without charge. Sun makes the Java Development Kit (JDK) available over the Internet (at www.javasoft.com), where faculty and students alike can download it. The JDK--which includes the Java compiler and interpreter, among other tools--is admittedly spartan, but students should find it adequate for most programming assignments. Those willing to spend a little money will find nicer program development environments (such as Symantec Café and Microsoft J++) available at moderate prices.
Easy to test. Students can put their programs--written as applets--on their Web pages for instructors to test and critique. Instructors can monitor a student's progress at any stage by simply visiting the student's Web page.
Student enthusiasm. Java has gotten so much publicity that students are bound to be excited about learning it. By harnessing that enthusiasm, instructors can use Java as a vehicle to teach students a tremendous amount about modern-day computing. Students will be motivated by Java's growing importance in the ``real world.'' Moreover, students will be thrilled by the ease with which they can build sophisticated GUI programs.
Suitable for advanced courses. After students gain familiarity with the basic features of Java in CS1, they can use its advanced features in later courses. For example, a course on operating systems can take advantage of Java's support for threads. The network classes that come with Java make it ideal for a networking course.
Easy transition to C++ and other languages. Java's syntactic similarity to C and C++ should ease the transition to those languages. We'll return to this point in Section 6.
International appeal. The Unicode character set is an integral part of Java, allowing students to learn about the issues of developing software for the international market.

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