Tuesday, 24 March 2009

What Is Java?

from http://java.about.com/od/gettingstarted/a/whatisjava.htm

Java is a computer programming language. It enables programmers to write computer instructions using English based commands, instead of having to write in numeric codes. It’s known as a “high-level” language because it can be read and written easily by humans. Like English, Java has a set of rules that determine how the instructions are written. These rules are known as its “syntax”. Once a program has been written, the high-level instructions are translated into numeric codes that computers can understand and execute

Who Created Java?

In the early nineties, Java was created by a team led by James Gosling for Sun Microsystems. It was originally designed for use on digital mobile devices, such as cell phones. However, when Java 1.0 was released to the public in 1996, its main focus had shifted to use on the Internet. It provided more interactivity with users by giving developers a way to produce animated webpages . Over the years it has evolved as a successful language for use both on and off the Internet. A decade later, it’s still an extremely popular language with over 6.5million developers worldwide.

Why Choose Java?

Java was designed with a few key principles in mind:

  • Easy to Use: The fundamentals of Java came from a programming language called c++. Although a powerful language, it was felt to be too complex in its syntax, and inadequate for all of Java's requirements. Java built on, and improved the ideas of c++, to provide a programming language that was powerful and simple to use.
  • Reliability: Java needed to reduce the likelihood of fatal errors from programmer mistakes. With this in mind, object-oriented programming was introduced. Once data and its manipulation were packaged together in one place, it increased Java’s robustness.
  • Secure: As Java was originally targeting mobile devices that would be exchanging data over networks, it was built to include a high level of security. Java is probably the most secure programming language to date.
  • Platform Independent: Programs needed to work regardless of the machine they were being executed on. Java was written to be a portable language that doesn't care about the operating system or the hardware of the computer.

The team at Sun Microsystems were successful in combining these key principles, and Java's popularity can be traced to it being a robust, secure, easy to use, and portable language.

The Power Of Java

From http://www.sun.com/java/about/

Java technology has become a complete software ecosystem that represents different values to different types of consumer and business users. It offers developers a choice of three Java platform editions depending on the need:

Sun Open Sources Java Platform Implementations

Sun open-sourced its implementation of the Java platform as free software. Get involved! Visit the three open-source Java communities that Sun is seeding and download the code: OpenJDKMobile & Embedded and theGlassFish community.

What can Java software do? Take a look at how Java technology is changing the world!

For consumers, Java technology is the first software technology that simply works without a struggle. Consumers are delighted to see applications run reliably and compatibly on such an incredible array of network products - from PCs, game players, and mobile phones to home appliances and automotive electronics. The Java brand has come to represent applications that are lively and interactive. A growing voice among consumers all over the globe actively prefers Java Powered applications and products.

For business, Java technology represents choice, performance, efficiency, and flexibility. The Enterprise Java platform serves as an end-to-end infrastructure that gives IT managers an extremely wide variety of compatible business logic applications, independent of their application server or portal server vendor - whether it is BEA, IBM, Oracle, or Sun. It significantly extends their reach and interactivity among employees, customers, and partners. Just as important, IT managers know there is a global ecosystem of Java developers, support engineers, and knowledge bases to reduce the risk and time to deployment as well as the ongoing cost of ownership and maintenance.

For developers, Java technology allows them to write software on one platform and run it on practically any other platform. It lets them create multi-threaded programs that run within Web browsers and Web services. Also, they can combine reusable Java objects to quickly create unique and highly customized server-side applications, such as online forums, stores, polls, HTML forms processing, and secure transactions. And of course, there's a support community of four milion fellow developers, thousands of independent developer web sites, hundreds of providers that support Java developers, and the Java Community Process (JCP.org).

Technology


Java technology is an object-oriented, platform-independent, multithreaded programming environment. It is the foundation for Web and networked services, applications, platform-independent desktops, robotics, and other embedded devices.

Three main technology values of Java include:

  • A Richer User Experience - Whether you're using a Java technology-powered mobile phone to play a game or to access your company's network, the Java platform provides the foundation for true mobility. The unique blend of mobility and security in Java technology makes it the ideal development and deployment vehicle for mobile and wireless solutions.
  • The Ideal Execution Environment for Web Services - The Java and XML languages are the two most extensible and widely accepted computing languages, providing maximum reach to everyone, everywhere, every time, to every device and platform.
  • Enabling Business from End to End - Java technology offers a single, unifying programming model that can connect all elements of a business infrastructure.
  • Java Technologies
  • JavaFx
  • Java & Related Technologies

Java Technology in Small and Mobile Devices


The Micro Edition of the Java Platform meets the needs of developers creating applications for the consumer and embedded markets. No other technology provides such robust applications across so many types of size-constrained wireless and wireline devices, from mobile phones and PDAs to set-top boxes and vehicle telematics.

For more information
 » Java Mobility
 » Java ME
 » Java Card Technology
    

Java Technology in PC Desktops


The Standard Edition of the Java Platform is designed specifically to develop secure, portable, high-performance applications for the widest range of desktop computing platforms possible, including Apple Macintosh, Linux, Microsoft Windows and Sun Solaris. Compatible desktops, especially in heterogeneous environmemts, represent a boost in user productivity, communication, and collaboration, as well as a considerable cost-of-ownership savings.

For more information
 » Desktop Java Technology
 » Java SE