Should I Learn Groovy or Java?

Should I learn Groovy or Java?

Groovy lets you write short programs to do what long Java ones can.

And Groovy lets you call Java when you need to. It can even manipulate Java programs.

That's called meta-programming.

That is so meta!

Or a perfect vector for viruses and malware.

Groovy is one of the new, ultra-dense programming languages. You can fit pages worth of code into a few short lines.

The efficiency you gain in coding is dramatically offset by the steep learning curve.

Groovy is supposed to be better for web projects and concurrent programs.

You'll find thousands of major sites on Ruby today, especially startups from California. You have to hunt for one made in Groovy that isn't someone's senior design project.

Groovy is much more efficient than Java. And if there is something you need that Groovy can't do, Groovy can call Java libraries and manipulate Java programs.

You might as well learn CoffeeScript, which is programming shorthand for JavaScript.

I don't care about JavaScript.

If you are going to learn Groovy to manipulate and otherwise use Java, just learn Java.

Groovy is essentially Java on steroids. It is more powerful.

So learn Groovy for the few functions Java can't do, but focus on Java. At least when you list Java on your resume, everyone knows what you mean.

A few people will assume I mean coffee.

Only those working at Starbucks. Everyone else will recognize Java as a programming language or at least something to do with computers.

Groovy has a cooler name.

Groovy has been voted one of the most likely to be gone in five year programming fads. Java has been around for decades.

Java may be supplanted by Groovy.

Or Java adopts the best features of Groovy while Groovy becomes un-cool.