Introduction of Java | Basics of Java

What is Java?

Java as a programming language

• The java programming language is a high level ,Object-Oriented and general purpose computer programming language .
• Java is similar to c++ but simplified to eliminate language features that cause common programming errors.
• You can use java to write computer applications that play games,store data or do any of the thousands of other things computer software's can do.
• it is intended to let application develops "write once run anywhere" (WORA), meaning that compiled java code can run on all platforms that support java without the need for recompilation.

Java as a Computing Platform

• A platform is the hardware or software environment in which a program runs.Some of the most popular platforms are Microsoft Windows,Linux, Solaris Os,Mac OS.
• Since java has its own run time environment(JRE)and API, it is called a platform.
• There are lots of applications and websites that will not work unless you have java. installed, and more are created every day.
• From laptops to data centers, game consoles to scientific supercomputers cell phones to the internet, Java is everywhere.

Where Java is used ?

According to Sun, 3 billion devices run java. There are many devices where java is currently used.some of them are as follows.

• Desktop applications such as acrobat reader,media player,antivirus etc.
• Web applications such as irctc.co.in, Javapo.com etc.
• Enterprise Applications such as banking appliactions.
• Mobile.
• Embedded System.
• Robotics.
• Games etc.

History of Java

Java was developed by Sun Micro systems in the early-to -mid 1990s and development continues to this day,of course. Here are some of the more important milestones in the early history of the language.

• 1990.  A team headed by James Gosling is set up to work on a programming language for consumer electronic devices.The goals were to develop a small language, that would easuily adapt to new chips,and be very reliable. The language was originally known as Oak, but that name was already used it had to be changed.
• 1992. The team creates a project called Star 7(*7) and develops a personal, hand held remote control. The development team is incorporated as First Person,Inc. but loses a bid to develop a TV Set top-box for time-warier.
• 1994. The team notices the popularity of the web ,which came along 1993 and builds first web-enabled browser, web runner. Sun executive are impressed.
• May 23 1995; At sun World in San Francisco Sun Microsystems Inc., formally announces  Java 1.0 and Netscape also announces it will license Java for its browser.
• 1995 -Present : the rest of the world notices,Programming go bananas, and the rest,as the say is history.4

Fetures of Java Programming Language are :

• Simple
• Secure
• Portable
• Object-Oriented
• Robust
• Mulithreaded
• Architectur-neutral
• Interpreted
• High performance
• Distributed
• Dynamic

Simple

• Java is Easy to write and more readable and eye catching.
• Java has a concise,cohesive set of features that makes it easy to learn and use.
• Most of the concepts are drew from C++ thus making java learning simpler.

Secure:

• Java programs cannot harm other system thus making it secure.
• Java provides a secure means of creating internet applications.
• Java provides secure way to web applications.

Portable:

• Java program can execute in any environment for which there is a Java run-time System.(JVM).
• Java programs can be run on any platform(Linux,Windows,Mac).
• Java Programs can be transferred over world wide web(e.g applets)

Object-Oriented:

• Java programming is object-oriented progrmming language.
• Like C++ java provides most of the object oriented features.
• Java is pure OOp. Language (while C++ is semi object oriented)

Robust;

• Java encourages error-free programming by being strctly typed and performing run-time chcks.

Multithreaded:

Java provides integrated support for multithreaded programming.

Architecture-neutral:

Java is not tied to a specific machine or opearting system architecture. Machine independent i.e Java is independent of hardware.

Interpreted:

Java supports cross-platform code through the use of Java bytecode.

Byte code can be interpreted on ny platform by JVM.

High performance;

Byte codes are highly optimized JVM can executed them much faster.

Distributed;

Java was designed with the distributed environment.

Java can be transmit,run over internet.

Dynamic: 

Java programs caryy with them substantial amounts of run-time type information that is used to verify and resolve accesses to objects at run time.