For this post I did some experiments with Java 15, reusing the Ubuntu 64bit SD card which was also used for the earlier post “Comparing a REST H2 Spring versus Quarkus application on Raspberry Pi”.

In this article “Java vs Python - Which Programming Language Should Programmer Learn First?” by Javin Paul, you can find a comparison between the two most popular programming languages. Of course, as being a Java-developer myself, it’s not a mystery which I would prefer ;-)

In a previous post “Installing Java and JavaFX on the Raspberry Pi”, you can read how to install BellSoft LibericaJDK to be able to run JavaFX applications with a graphical user interface on a Raspberry Pi with ARMv7 or ARMv8 processor.

Goal of this comparison In my previous post “A Spring REST and H2 database application on the Raspberry Pi” an example was described to store sensors and measurements in a H2-database through REST API’s with a Spring application on the Raspberry Pi. This application takes some time to start on a Raspberry Pi, and Adam Bien who makes the airhacks.fm podcast asked me if I could compare this to a similar Quarkus application.

Java on Raspberry Pi The “Pi” in the name of the Raspberry Pi refers to Python, but as a Java developer I love to know and experiment with the various Java frameworks I also use at work. Spring is the main one, and I wanted to develop a proof-of-concept application which provides REST API’s to store and retrieve sensor data with a database back-end on the Raspberry Pi.

In my book “Getting Started with Java on Raspberry Pi” I dedicated a chapter on Pi4J, the leading framework to combine the power of Java with the hardware capabilities of the Raspberry Pi. This project which was started in 2012 by Robert Savage, evolved during the years to be able to support all the different Raspberry Pi-versions and many types of hardware components.

In “The MagPi Magazine” #93 and #94, published by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, you can find two articles which describe how you can get started with Java, Maven, Visual Studio Code and Pi4J on the Raspberry Pi.

FXGL is a Java, JavaFX and Kotlin Game Library (Engine) made by Almas Baimagambetov. As my son (almost 10y) challenged me to make a game during my “Corona-stay-at-home-time”, I had the luck Almas provided me a getting-started with this detailed step-by-step.

One of the most read articles on this blog is about the installation of a recent Java on Raspberry Pi (March 13, 2019), so it’s time for an update!

Based on multiple examples from my book “Getting started with Java on Raspberry Pi”, I created a touchscreen controller for the drum booth of my son. Combined with relays boards and an Arduino this allows to control LED strips and different lights with a touch screen interface.