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What is Java?

Java is a general-purpose, class-based, object-oriented programming language designed for having lesser implementation dependencies. In addition It is a computing platform for application development. Java is fast, secure, and reliable, therefore. It is widely use for developing Java applications in laptops, data centers, game consoles, scientific supercomputers, cell phones, etc.

What is Java Platform?

Java Platform is a collection of programs that help programmers to develop and run Java programming applications efficiently. In addition It includes an execution engine, a compiler, and a set of libraries in it. It is a set of computer software and specifications. James Gosling developed the Java platform at Sun Microsystems, and the Oracle Corporation later acquired it.

Java Definition and Meaning

Java is a multi-platform, object-oriented, and network-centric language. It is among the most used programming language. Java is also use as a computing platform.

Also It is considered as one of the fast, secure, and reliable programming languages preferred by most organizations to build their projects.

What is Java used for?

So Here are some important Java applications:

• It is use for developing Android Apps
• Also Helps you to create Enterprise Software
• Wide range of Mobile java Applications
• Scientific Computing Applications
• Use for Big Data Analytics
• Java Programming of Hardware devices
• Also Used for Server-Side Technologies like Apache, JBoss, GlassFish, etc.

History of Java Programming Language

Here are important landmarks from the history of the Java language:

• The Java language was initially called OAK.
• Originally, it was developed for handling portable devices and set-top boxes. Oak was a massive failure.
• In 1995, Sun changed the name to “Java” and modified the language to take advantage of the burgeoning www (World Wide Web) development business.
• Later, in 2009, Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems and took ownership of three key Sun software assets: Java, MySQL, and Solaris.

Java Versions

Here are a brief history of all the Java versions with its release date.

Java Versions	Release Date
JDK Alpha and Beta	1995
JDK 1.0	23rd Jan 1996
JDK 1.1	19th Feb 1997
J2SE 1.2	8th Dec 1998
J2SE 1.3	8th May 2000
J2SE 1.4	6th Feb 2002
J2SE 5.0	30th Sep 2004
Java SE 6	11th Dec 2006
Java SE 7	28th July 2011
Java SE 8	18th Mar 2014
Java SE 9	21st Sep 2017
Java SE 10	20th Mar 2018
JAVA SE 11	25th Sep 2018
JAVA SE 12	19th Mar 2019
JAVA SE 13	17th Sep 2019
JAVA SE 14	17th Mar 2020
JAVA SE 15	15th Sep 2020 (latest Java Version)

Java Features

So Here are some important Java features:

• It is one of the easy-to-use programming languages to learn.
• Write code once and run it on almost any computing platform.
• Java is platform-independent. Some programs developed in one machine can be executed in another machine.
• It is designed for building object-oriented applications.
• And It is a multithreaded language with automatic memory management.
• Also It is created for the distributed environment of the Internet.
• Facilitates distributed computing as its network-centric.

Components Of Java Programming Language

A Java Programmer writes a program in a human-readable language called Source Code. Therefore, the CPU or Chips never understand the source code written in any programming language.

These computers or chips understand only one thing, which is called machine language or code. So These machine codes run at the CPU level. Therefore, it would be different machine codes for other models of CPU.

However, you need to worry about the machine code, as programming is all about the source code. So the machine understands this source code and translates them into machine understandable code, which is an executable code.

All these functionalities happen inside the following 3 Java platform components:

• Java Development kit (JDK)
•  and Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
• Java Runtime Environment (JRE)

 What is Java Development kit (JDK)

JDK is a software development environment used for making applets and Java applications. Also The full form of JDK is Java Development Kit. Java developers can use it on Windows, macOS, Solaris, and Linux. JDK helps them to code and run Java programs. It is possible to install more than one JDK version on the same computer.

Why using JDK?

Here are the main reasons for using JDK:

• JDK contains tools required to write Java programs and JRE to execute them.
• So It includes a compiler, Java application launcher, Appletviewer, etc.
• Compiler converts code written in Java into byte code.
• Java application launcher opens a JRE, loads the necessary class, and executes its main method.

Java Virtual Machine (JVM):

So Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is an engine that provides a runtime environment to drive the Java Code or applications. It converts Java bytecode into machine language. JVM is a part of the Java Run Environment (JRE). In other programming languages, the compiler produces machine code for a particular system. However, the Java compiler produces code for a Virtual Machine known as Java Virtual Machine.

Why JVM?

Here are the important reasons of using JVM:

• JVM provides a platform-independent way of executing Java source code.
• It has numerous libraries, tools, and frameworks.
• Once you run a Java program, you can run on any platform and save lots of time.
• JVM comes with JIT (Just-in-Time) compiler that converts Java source code into low-level machine language. Hence, it runs faster than a regular application.

Java Runtime Environment (JRE)

JRE is a piece of software that is designed to run other software. It contains the class libraries, loader class, and JVM. In simple terms, if you want to run a Java program, you need JRE. If you are not a programmer, you don’t need to install JDK, but just JRE to run Java programs.

Why use JRE?

Here are the main reasons of using JRE:

• JRE contains class libraries, JVM, and other supporting files. It does not include any tool for Java development like a debugger, compiler, etc.
• Also It uses important package classes like math, swing, util, lang, awt, and runtime libraries.
• If you have to run Java applets, then JRE must be installed in your system.

So To understand Java programming language, we need to understand some basic concept of how a computer program can run a command and execute the action.

The future of Java

Java was originally developed and supported by Sun Microsystems and is now supported by Oracle. However, Java is open source and has a worldwide community invested in guiding its continued development and growth. The use cases for Java may change over the years, but its focus and mantra have persisted: write once, run anywhere.