Java
is a
computer programming language
that is
concurrent,
class-based,
object-oriented,
and specifically designed to have as few implementation dependencies as
possible. It is intended to let application developers "write
once, run anywhere"
(WORA), meaning that code that runs on one platform does not need to be
recompiled to run on another. Java applications are typically
compiled to
bytecode (class
file) that
can run on any
Java virtual machine
(JVM) regardless of
computer architecture.
Java is, as of 2014, one of the most popular programming languages in
use, particularly for client-server web applications, with a reported 9
million developers. Java was originally developed by
James Gosling
at
Sun Microsystems
(which has since
merged into Oracle Corporation)
and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems'
Java platform.
The language derives much of its
syntax from
C and
C++, but it
has fewer
low-level
facilities than either of them.
The original and
reference implementation
Java
compilers,
virtual machines, and
class libraries
were developed by Sun from 1991 and first released in 1995. As of May
2007, in compliance with the specifications of the
Java Community Process,
Sun relicensed most of its Java technologies under the
GNU General Public License.
Others have also developed alternative implementations of these Sun
technologies, such as the
GNU Compiler for Java
(bytecode compiler),
GNU Classpath
(standard libraries), and
IcedTea-Web
(browser plugin for applets).
|
|