I'd be really interested to know if there are folks out there who enjoy Java programming as compared to the alternatives out there today. Does Java fill any ki

I'd be really interested to know if there are folks out there who enjoy Java programming as compared to the alternatives out there today. Does Java fill any kind of niche aside from maintaining those gargantuan projects that are typical of governments and large corporations? When I learned Java in the 90s, it was hyped up with the promise of microwaves and refrigerators and televisions and every little thing running Java software. Instead, the only time I've found myself turning to Java was when I built an IDE on top of eclipse for a custom programming language, a few android apps, a few swing projects for school, and a few socket based projects. When dealing with IOT and smaller hardware, I've found myself using node(js) instead. I've rarely ever found it enjoyable. The IDEs have been sluggish, the GUI libraries have felt cheap and unpolished, with those clunky diamond shaped radio buttons, and I always found myself writing too much code to do very simple stuff, because every library was wordy and verbose. When I looked at my work, it felt inelegant and cumbersome. What is Java like in 2018? Are there any good, polished open source projects that work well ? What would make you look at a project and say "I think Java is the most suitable choice for that" today?