11 funny programmer jokes
Social media is ripe with Dad jokes, and #techtwitter isn’t immune from this popular trend.
For anyone looking to get a cringeworthy chuckle out of their coworkers, here are 11 of the most popular Java developer jokes floating around the Twittersphere.
I’ve also included a brief explanation of why they these jokes are supposed to be funny. That’ll help you out if you don’t get the humor right off the bat.
11 best programming jokes
Before I give away the punchlines, here are the setups for the top 11 programmer jokes circulating on Twitter today:
- Why did the two Java methods get a divorce?
- Why did the edge server go bankrupt?
- How many developers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
- Why did the private classes break up?
- Why do programmers confuse Christmas with Halloween?
- Why do Java programmers wear glasses?
- What’s the first step in understanding recursion?
- Why did the JavaScript developer quit his job?
- Why did the Java developer teach his kids about double quotes?
- Why do submarines all run Linux?
- What happens when developers ask a silly question?
Why did the two Java methods get a divorce?
Because they had constant arguments.
In Java, data passed into a method is known as an argument. Data that can’t be changed is said to be constant. So, methods can have constant arguments.
Of course, if a married couple had constant arguments, they’d get a divorce.
Why did the functions 🛑stop calling ☎️each other?
Because they had constant arguments. 🥊🥊 pic.twitter.com/fSf8HLI3Pl
— Darcy DeClute || DevOps || Git || Scrum || Python (@scrumtuous) July 15, 2022
Why did the edge server go bankrupt?
Because it ran out of cache.
This programming joke is simply a play on words.
Edge servers achieve lower response times by storing regularly queried files and images in a cache. It would not be good for an edge server to run out of cache space.
And of course, when a person or company runs out of cash, they go bankrupt. So, this developer joke is a bit of a play on words.
How many developers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
None. It’s a hardware problem.
This lightbulb joke simply pokes fun at the human tendency to deflect blame onto someone or something else.
Why did the private classes break up?
Because they never saw each other.
I like this funny programmer joke, because you need an intermediate knowledge of Java to understand the punchline.
Java has a variety of access modifiers, one of which is private.
The private access modifier greatly limits the visibility of a class, method or variable. If two classes were private, are compiler won’t allow them to reference, or “see” each other.
And of course, if a couple could never see each other, they’d surely break up, which is why this Java programming joke is funny.
Why did the Java developer teach his young kids about single quotes?
Because they build character.
When you create a char primitive type or a Character object in Java, you use single quotes:
char isma = ‘a’;
And of course, everyone wants their kids to be of good character. So, teaching young kids about single quotes should help build their character.
This developer joke is just a fun play on words that requires an understanding of Java primitive types to appreciate the punchline.
Why do Java developers like single quotes?
Because they help to build character. pic.twitter.com/K7m8IonzuF
— Darcy DeClute || DevOps || Git || Scrum || Python (@scrumtuous) November 23, 2022
Why do programmers confuse Christmas with Halloween?
Because OCT 31 is the same as DEC 25.
This is just a weird coincidence of the octal number system.
When you use the base 8 number system, 31 is equivalent to 25 in the decimal number system.
So 31 in octal equals 25 in decimal. That reads as though October 31st, which is Halloween, is the same as December 25th, which is Christmas.
Why do most Java programmers wear glasses?
Because they don’t see sharp.
The .NET platform is one of the primary competitors for Java-based Spring Boot and Jakarta EE applications. And one of the main languages of .NET is C#, pronounced see sharp.
Java developers don’t traditionally touch the .NET platform, so you could say that they don’t see sharp!
By the way, the proper name for the # symbol is octothorpe. You can read all about octothorpes and monkey tails in the other article I wrote about cool tech words.
What’s the first step in understanding recursion?
To understand recursion, you must first understand recursion.
Recursion and recursive methods are a way to perform repetitive logic in a computer program. Basically, a method calls itself ad infinitum until the work is done.
The punch line calls upon itself, so the only way someone would find this developer joke funny is if they already understand recursion, which as we know, is the first step in understanding recursion.
To get this cringeworthy programmer joke, you must first understand recursion.
Why did the Java developer quit his job?
Because he didn’t get arrays.
This programmer joke is a play on the words arrays and a raise.
An array is a fundamental programming concept in all languages. So, if you were a developer and you didn’t understand Java arrays, you’d surely want to quit.
At the same time, if you worked hard and never got a pay raise, you’d want to quit as well!
Why do submarines all run Linux?
You may have heard this old trope as “Why do they run Unix on the space shuttle?” or some derivation like that.
The answer to both questions? It’s ‘because you can’t open windows in space’, or ‘you can’t open Windows under water.’
What happens when developers ask a silly question?
They get a silly ANSI.
This developer joke is just a play on the pronunciation of the acronym ANSI, which refers to the American National Standards Institute. ANSI is pronounced somewhat like the word answer.
ANSI is responsible for ASCII, the American Standard Code for Information Interchange, which is used by all modern computer programs to perform character encoding.
This programmer joke is often asked with ASCII in the setup as follows:
What happens when developers ASCII silly questions?
They get a silly ANSIs.
Developer programming jokes
Most of these programmer joke are just plays on words that you probably won’t get if you aren’t a developer.
Programmers, Sys Admins and DevOps engineers may find these developer jokes funny, but people outside of the IT field probably will scratch their heads.
Feel free to use these jokes to kick off a Zoom call or end your Daily Scrum. Just don’t offer them up at the Thanksgiving dinner table, as they’ll go over about as well as a WKRP turkey giveaway.