Java

What is Java? 

Java is a high-level programming language originally developed by Sun Microsystems and released in 1995. Java runs on a variety of platforms, such as Windows, Mac OS, and the various versions of UNIX.

Java is a programming language and a platform.

* Platform :  Any hardware or software environment in which a program runs, is known as a platform . Since Java has its own runtime environment (JRE) and  API, it is called platform.


The Java programming language is a high - level language that can be characterized by all  of the following buzzwords :


->OBJECT ORIENTED:

        In  java , everything is an object. Java can be easily extended since it is based on the object model.

->PLATFORM INDEPENDENT:

      when java is compiled , it is not compiled into platform specific machine, rather into platform independent byte code. This byte code is distributed over the web and interpreted by virtual machine (JVM) on whichever platform it is being run.

->SIMPLE:

    Java is designed to be easy to learn.

->SECURE:

   With Java's secure feature it enables to develop virus-free, tamper-free systems. Authentication techniques are based on public-key encryption.

->ARCHITECTURAL -NEUTRAL:

   Java compiler generates an architectural - neutral object file format which makes the compiled code to be executable on many processors, with the presence of java runtime system.

->PORTABLE:

   Being architectural - neutral and having no implementation dependent aspects of the specification makes java portable.

->ROBUST:

    Java makes an effort to eliminate error prone situations by emphasizing mainly on compile time error checking and runtime checking.

->MULTI THREADED:

   With this feature it is possible to write programs that can do many tasks simultaneously.This design feature allows developers to construct smoothly running interactive application.

->HIGH PERFORMANCE:

  With the use of Just-In-Time compiler, java enables high performance.

->INTERPRETED:

  Java byte codes are translated on the fly to native machine instructions(interpreted) and not    stored anywhere. And since linking is a more incremental and lightweight process, the development process can be much more rapid and exploratory.

->DISTRIBUTED:

  Java is designed for the distributed environment of the internet.

*  Sun released the first public implementation as java 1.0 in 1995. I t promised write once, run anywhere (WORA) , providing no cost run-times on popular platforms.