Introduction to Java

Java-An Introduction

Java is a popular general-purpose programming language. It is  very simple and easy to understand.

It follows the object oriented approach of programming, so it is object oriented language. It is related to C and C++ languages, but it is organized differently.It has removed many bugs and complex features of C and C++ and included some new features.

History of Java

Java was developed by James Gosling and his colleagues at Sun Microsystems in 1990's. The idea of Java was conceived in January 1991 by James Gosling, Mike Sheridan, Patrick Naughton and other individuals who met in Aspen,Colorado to discuss Green Project funded by Sun Microsystems.

 James Gosling who was given the task to identify the proper programming language for the project,initially began with C++,the object oriented language.Because of complex features of C++,like memory leaks, multiple inheritance,Gosling was convinced that C++ was inappropriate for the project.

So he decided to create his own computer language. He created a language named "Oak",it was named after the Oak tree outside the window of Gosling's house.

Oak was first used on device named *7(seven star) in September 1992.It consisted of Oak language and Green OS,a user interface and hardware. In 1994, Oak was use to build a new web browser "WebRunner" , which was later named as "Hot Java".During this period.,Oak was renamed to "Java" as Oak named language already existed.

Sun formally announced Java and Hot Java at the major conference Sun World in 1995.

Versions of Java

Following able shows the java versions and their release dates.

Keep Learning!