Durofy

Here are the major differences between C And JAVA.

1. JAVA is Object-Oriented while C is procedural. Different Paradigms, that is.

Most differences between the features of the two languages arise due to the use of different programming paradigms. C breaks down to functions while JAVA breaks down to Objects. C is more procedure-oriented while JAVA is data-oriented.

2. Java is an Interpreted language while C is a compiled language.

We all know what a compiler does. It takes your code & translates it into something the machine can understand-that is to say-0's & 1's-the machine-level code. That's exactly what happens with our C code-it gets 'compiled'. While with JAVA, the code is first transformed to what is called the bytecode. This bytecode is then executed by the JVM(Java Virtual Machine). For the same reason, JAVA code is more portable.

3. C is a low-level language while JAVA is a high-level language.

C is a low-level language(difficult interpretation for the user, closer significance to the machine-level code) while JAVA is a high-level lagunage(abstracted from the machine-level details, closer significance to the program itself).

4. C uses the top-down {sharp & smooth} approach while JAVA uses the bottom-up {on the rocks} approach.

In C, formulating the program begins by defining the whole and then splitting them into smaller elements. JAVA(and C++ and other OOP languages) follows the bottom-up approach where the smaller elements combine together to form the whole.

5. Pointer go backstage in JAVA while C requires explicit handling of pointers.

When it comes to JAVA, we don't need the *'s & &'s to deal with pointers & their addressing. More formally, there is no pointer syntax required in JAVA. It does what it needs to do. While in JAVA, we do create references for objects.

6. The Behind-the-scenes Memory Management with JAVA & The User-Based Memory Management in C.

Remember 'malloc' & 'free'? Those are the library calls used in C to allocate & free chunks of memory for specific data(specified using the keyword 'sizeof'). Hence in C, the memory is managed by the user while JAVA uses a garbage collector that deletes the objects that no longer have any references to them.

7. JAVA supports Method Overloading while C does not support overloading at all.

JAVA supports function or method overloading-that is we can have two or more functions with the same name(with certain varying parameters like return types to allow the machine to differentiate between them). That it to say, we can overload methods with the same name having different method signatures. JAVA(unlike C++), does not support Operator Overloading while C does not allow overloading at all.

8. Unlike C, JAVA does not support Preprocessors, & does not really them.

The preprocessor directives like #include & #define, etc are considered one of the most essential elements of C programming. However, there are no preprocessors in JAVA. JAVA uses other alternatives for the preprocessors. For instance, public static final is used instead of the #define preprocessor. Java maps class names to a directory and file structure instead of the #include used to include files in C.

9. The standard Input & Output Functions.

Although this difference might not hold any conceptual(intuitive) significance, but it's maybe just the tradition. C uses the printf & scanf functions as its standard input & output while JAVA uses the System.out.print & System.in.read functions.

10. Exception Handling in JAVA And the errors & crashes in C.

When an error occurs in a Java program it results in an exception being thrown. It can then be handled using various exception handling techniques. While in C, if there's an error, there IS an error.

As I pointed out in my previous post, we use classes in Object Oriented Programming(OOP) which are a blueprint of objects that share common properties. This use of classes & more precisely, of objects makes the process of programming easy & efficient.

That was exactly the reason why the Object Oriented Programming Paradigm was introduced. Now, there are certain fundamental features that you would find in every object oriented programming language.

Lets now take a look at each of them individually,
Lets take up CLASSES first. They consists of entities called objects-or they are blueprints of objects.

For example, a car would be a class & a van would be an object that belongs to the class called cars. Now, once we know the behavior of this object, we can use it anywhere we need in the program without having to define the behavior/properties again & again, which is the basic aim of OOP.

The objects here act as building blocks of the program. Though the objects can differ in terms of specific attributes(like a van could be red or blue), the classes would only depict the common behavior of all objects(like each car would have 4 wheels, turn left, right & so on...)

Now, the basic features of OOP...

A) Polymorphism - It simply implies "something having various forms".
In the OOP world, this is evident with variables & functions.(and hence, with objects as well)

For instance, A variable called MEMBERID could take a name or a number & the program would recognize & accept both.

Another example is the "+" sign which can denote the mathematical operation, or strings or lists.

B) Inheritance - It is simply forming new classes(derived classes) from previously existing ones(base classes). In the process, the derived classes inherit certain properties of the base classes.

The concept is similar to how children inherit certain features from their parents, hence, the base classes are also sometimes refereed to as ancestor classes.

In terms of relationships, we call the relation between the base & derived class the as-is relationship. Consider the base class "car" & the derived class "bmw". Then we can say "bmw" is-a "car" which is generalized to "derived class" is-a "base class".

Encapsulation, Data Abstraction & Information hiding are very similar concepts & people often confuse them to be the same.

In one single statement, Abstraction is a technique that lets us know what information should be visible, and what information should be hidden. Encapsulation is the technique to display the information in a way as to hide what should be hidden, and show what's needed.
Then, Information Hiding is the process of hiding all the inessential details of an object.