Four Trends Leading to Java Runtime Bloat

Today, programmers work in an environment of rapid global development of large-scale applications that have become increasingly interconnected. These drivers are the backdrop for four important software engineering trends: the wide adoption of object-oriented principles, the pervasive use of abstractions, system and data integration, and the increasing need for software flexibility. Programmers no longer write monolithic applications; they assemble code from a sea of reuseable libraries and frameworks. Many programmers believe that improved productivity always outweighs any resulting loss in performance, but experience with large Java applications doesn't support this belief.