title: Why are command line arguments passed as a String array in Java?
body: <p>In Java, the command line arguments are passed into my program as a String array, like this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>public static void main(String[] args ) { }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Why does this use an array, and not a single String ? </p>
  
  <p>I think it would be more flexible / adaptable if the command line arguments were passed in as a single String, and let my program do with it what I want. Is there any design advantage achieved by using a String array instead of a single String ?</p>