Java Programming Language

Java Programming Language

Java

Java is a programming language expressly designed for use in the distributedenvironment of the Internet. It was designed to have the "look and feel" of theC++ language, but it is simpler to use than C++ and enforces an object-oriented programming model. Java can be used to create complete applications that may run on a single computer or be distributed among servers and clients in a network. It can also be used to build a small application module or appletfor use as part of a Web page. Applets make it possible for a Web page user to interact with the page.
Ask your Java questions at ITKnowledgeExchange.com
The major characteristics of Java are:

• The programs you create are portable in a network. (Seeportability.) Your source program is compiled into what Java callsbytecode, which can be run anywhere in a network on a server orclient

Learn More

• Standards
• First generation Web services standards
• Java

• that has a Java virtual machine. The Java virtual machine interprets the bytecode into code that will run on the real computer hardware. This means that individual computer platform differences such as instruction lengths can be recognized and accommodated locally just as the program is being executed. Platform-specific versions of your program are no longer needed.
• The code is robust, here meaning that, unlike programs written in C++ and perhaps some other languages, the Java objects can contain no references to data external to themselves or other known objects. This ensures that an instruction can not contain the address of data storage in another application or in the operating system itself, either of which would cause the program and perhaps the operating system itself to terminate or "crash." The Java virtual machine makes a number of checks on each object to ensure integrity.
• Java is object-oriented, which means that, among other characteristics, an object can take advantage of being part of a classof objects and inherit code that is common to the class. Objects are thought of as "nouns" that a user might relate to rather than the traditional procedural "verbs." A method can be thought of as one of the object's capabilities or behaviors.
• In addition to being executed at the client rather than the server, a Java applet has other characteristics designed to make it run fast.
• Relative to C++, Java is easier to learn. (However, it is not a language you'll pick up in an evening!)

Java was introduced by Sun Microsystems in 1995 and instantly created a new sense of the interactive possibilities of the Web. Both of the major Web browsers include a Java virtual machine. Almost all major operating system developers (IBM, Microsoft, and others) have added Java compilers as part of their product offerings.
The Java virtual machine includes an optional just-in-time compiler that dynamically compiles bytecode into executable code as an alternative to interpreting one bytecode instruction at a time. In many cases, the dynamic JIT compilation is faster than the virtual machine interpretation.
JavaScript should not be confused with Java. JavaScript, which originated at Netscape, is interpreted at a higher level, is easier to learn than Java, but lacks some of the portability of Java and the speed of bytecode. Because Java applets will run on almost any operating system without requiring recompilation and because Java has no operating system-unique extensions or variations, Java is generally regarded as the most strategic language in which to develop applications for the Web. (However, JavaScript can be useful for very small applications that run on the Web client or server.)
>> Stay up to date by receiving the latest IT term daily. Simply check "Word of the Day" to register.

Related glossary terms: search engine, cyberprise, namespace, Webification,killer app, service-component architecture (SCA), Webify, Project Tango,Personal Web Server (PWS), MQSeries