2009

Bratislavská vysoká škola práva

Fakulta Informatiky
Peter Labaš

[THE HISTORY OF JAVA AND ITS

MAIN FEATURES]
Present the Goals in the Creation of JAVA language and their Implementation in Practice.
 THE HISTORY OF JAVA AND ITS MAIN FEATURES
(c) 2009 Peter Labaš
(Materiál neprešiel odbornou ani jazykovou korekciou a je určený na štúdijné účely ako semestrálna projektová práca)

 What is JAVA ?
Java is a computer programming language created in company Sun Microsystems.
Java is used mainly on the Internet and uses a virtual machine, which has been implemented
in most browsers to translate Java into a specific application on different computer system.
With most programming languages, you either compile or interpret a program so that you can
run it on your computer. The Java programming language is unusual in that a program is both
compiled and interpreted. The most common Java programs are applications and applets.
Applications are standalone programs, such as the HotJava browser. Applets are similar to
applications, but they do not run standalone. Instead, applets adhere to a set of conventions
that lets them run within a Java-compatible browser.

 History
James Gosling initiated the Java language project in June 1991 for use in one of his many set-
top box projects. The language, initially called Oak after an oak tree that stood outside
Gosling's office, also went by the name Green and ended up later renamed as Java, from a list
of random words. Gosling aimed to implement a virtual machine and a language that had a
familiar C/C++ style of notation.
Sun released the first public implementation as Java 1.0 in 1995. It promised "Write Once,
Run Anywhere" (WORA), providing no-cost run-times on popular platforms. Fairly secure
and featuring configurable security, it allowed network- and file-access restrictions. Major
web browsers soon incorporated the ability to run Java applets within web pages, and Java
quickly became popular. With the advent of Java 2 (released initially as J2SE 1.2 in
December 1998), new versions had multiple configurations built for different types of
platforms. For example, J2EE targeted enterprise applications and the greatly stripped-down
version J2ME for mobile applications. J2SE designated the Standard Edition. In 2006, for
marketing purposes, Sun renamed new J2 versions as Java EE, Java ME, and Java SE,
respectively.
In 1997, Sun Microsystems approached the ISO/IEC JTC1 standards body and later the Ecma
International to formalize Java, but it soon withdrew from the process. Java remains a de
facto standard, controlled through the Java Community Process. At one time, Sun made most
of its Java implementations available without charge, despite their proprietary software status.
Sun generated revenue from Java through the selling of licenses for specialized products such
as the Java Enterprise System. Sun distinguishes between its Software Development Kit
(SDK) and Runtime Environment (JRE) (a subset of the SDK); the primary distinction
involves the JRE's lack of the compiler, utility programs, and header files.
On November 13, 2006, Sun released much of Java as open source software under the terms
of the GNU General Public License (GPL). On May 8, 2007, Sun finished the process,
making all of Java's core code available under free software/open-source distribution terms,
aside from a small portion of code to which Sun did not hold the copyright.
 THE HISTORY OF JAVA AND ITS MAIN FEATURES
(c) 2009 Peter Labaš
(Materiál neprešiel odbornou ani jazykovou korekciou a je určený na štúdijné účely ako semestrálna projektová práca)

Sun's vice-president Rich Green has said that Sun's ideal role with regards to Java is as an
"evangelist."

 Main facts about programming language

The Java programming language is a high-level language that can be described as,

• Architecture neutral
• Object oriented
• Portable
• Distributed
• High performance
• Multithreaded
• Dynamic
• Secure

As long as a computer has a Java VM (Virtual Machine), a Java program can run on this
operating systems and machines

• Windows
• Linux
• Solaris
• MacOS

The Java platform differs from most other platforms in that it's a software-only platform that
runs on top of other hardware-based platforms. The Java platform has two components,

• The Java Virtual Machine (Java VM)

-compiles and translates Java scripts into Java bytecodes which can be descibed as
machine code instructions.
• The Java Application Programming Interface (Java API)
- is a large collection of ready-made software components that provide many useful
capabilities, such as graphical user interface (GUI) widgets. The Java API is grouped
into libraries of related classes and interfaces; these libraries are known as packages.

Java can offer these features,

• Objects - object-oriented technology

• strings
• threads, numbers
• input and output
• data structures
• system properties
 THE HISTORY OF JAVA AND ITS MAIN FEATURES
(c) 2009 Peter Labaš
(Materiál neprešiel odbornou ani jazykovou korekciou a je určený na štúdijné účely ako semestrálna projektová práca)

• date and time

• Applets
• 2D and 3D graphics
• telephony
• speech
• animation
• electronic signatures
• private key management
• access control

The Java platform has attracted more than 6.5 million software developers. It is use in
every major industry segment and has a presence in a wide range of devices, computers,
and networks.

Java technology's versatility, efficiency, platform portability, and security make it the ideal
technology for network computing. From laptops to datacenters, game consoles to scientific
supercomputers, cell phones to the Internet.

Java powers more than 4.5 billion devices including:

• 800+ million computers and notebooks

• 2.1 billion mobile phones and other handheld devices
• 3.5 billion smart cards (generalities of automatic teller machines)
• Web cams, games, printers, lottery terminals, medical devices, car navigation systems,
parking payment stations, set-top boxes and more.

Why Software Developers Choose Java

Java has been tested, refined, extended, and proven by a dedicated community. And
numbering more than 6.5 million developers, it's the largest and most active on the planet.
With its versatility, efficiency, and portability, Java has become invaluable to developers by
enabling them to:

• Write software on one platform and run it on virtually any other platform
• Create programs to run within a Web browser and Web services
• Develop server-side applications for online forums, stores, polls, HTML forms
processing, and more
• Combine applications or services using the Java language to create highly customized
applications or services
• Write powerful and efficient applications for mobile phones, remote processors, low-
cost consumer products, and practically any other device with a digital heartbeat
 THE HISTORY OF JAVA AND ITS MAIN FEATURES
(c) 2009 Peter Labaš
(Materiál neprešiel odbornou ani jazykovou korekciou a je určený na štúdijné účely ako semestrálna projektová práca)

 Conclusion
Java programming language, have in the feature perspective, because is exercisable in many
sectors of computer techniques (hardware), mobile communication and many home
appliances. Platform independents bring usage in hardware, with small memory claims,
mobile devices, fidelity systems, automatic teller machines, Web implementation.

Popularity, maintenance and variability open new dimension of Java development. XML
formats and other methods for structural Markup, brings possibility for effective application
development and more usage particularity JAVA language.

 Sources:
www.wikipedia.com

www.java.com

www.fags.org

www.sun.com

JAVA programming language

Thinking in JAVA (Bruce Eckel – 20 Feb 2006)