Java is one of the most well-known programming languages today.
Everything from small things like cell phones and smartphones to large computers in banks, DVD players, and web systems are being built in Java.
1. 1990 Development of Java Begins
- 1991 Start with C++
- 1992 First Demonstration
2. 1994 Toward the Internet Era
- 1995 Major turning point
- 1996 The name is Java! Where does the name come from?
- 1996 Java 1.0 Released
3. 1999 The Expanding World of Java
- 1999 To three markets
- 2005 An increasing number of users
- 2007 Android and JavaFX announced
- 2010 Acquisition by Oracle
4. 2013 Java Continues to Evolve
- 2013 Java 7
- 2014 Java 8
- References
1. 1990 Development of Java Begins
Development of Java Begins
In the 1990s, Sun Microsystems dominated the workstation computer market in the U.S.
The term "workstation" is not often heard today. In 1991, Java development started in this company as a Green project.
1991 Start with C++
The Green project group was trying its best to sell the latest software to the consumer electronics companies of the time. That was the goal of their project.
The software was being introduced into consumer electronics at an ever-increasing rate. It was growing fast and in high demand.
In 1991, James Gosling considered extending C++ as a programming language for this project. Still, it was not enough to realize their goal.
Their goal was to create a new mechanism for the software development process independent of hardware.
Processors used in consumer electronics change quickly as technology advances. If they had to rewrite the entire program every time it evolved, they would be overwhelmed.
Thus began the development of the Green OS and Oak programming language, which later became Java.
I wrote "software development process" above because Java is not only a programming language but also an environment for executing programs. That environment includes the following three things.
Memory access through objects: the ability to restrict user access to memory
Garbage collection: Automatic management of memory allocation and release
Virtual machine: Ability to run programs independent of CPU and OS
These are concepts that have been retained in today's Java.
Eleven features of Java that even beginners can easily understand!
1992 First Demonstration
In 1992-1993, the Green project team set its sights on developing the Stae7 portable information terminal.
It was an interactive device that could be held in hand, similar to today's tablets.
This included the Green OS, Oak language, and libraries, unprecedented and revolutionary.
The demonstrations showed Java's potential for a CPU- and OS-independent programming language.
The team then turned its efforts to developing set-top boxes for cable television.
2. 1994 Toward the Internet Era
1995 Major turning point
In 1994, the project team made a significant shift in goals from integration into consumer electronics to the world of the Internet. The Internet had arrived.
People worldwide were now connected by networks and interactive information from browsers.
People were waiting for new browsers to appear.
Using the Oak language, engineers Patrick Naughton and Jonathan Payne developed WebRunner.
This revolutionary browser displayed graphs and animations graphically in context.
1996 The name is Java! Where does the name come from?
The name Oak has been used until now, but a problem has been discovered.
It was found that the name Oak was being used as a trademark by another company.
Therefore, the name "Java" was adopted.
The origin of the name is said to be either of the following.
Taken from the coffee in the coffee shop where the members used to meet
An acronym in English of some kind
The former idea is probably the most likely. The following tidbit conveys this.
The first 4 bytes of Java compiled data are "0xCAFEBABE" in hexadecimal notation.
At SunWorld in 1995, WebRunner, a browser in Java, was released to the world under the name HotJava.
In addition, Netscape, a browser with many users at that time, announced its support for Java. Thus, Java came to attract the attention of Internet users around the world with the dawn of the Internet age.
1996 Java 1.0 Released
In 1996, the first JavaOne conference was held, and an audience of 6,000 gathered to learn about the latest Java technology.
In addition, the first official version of Java 1.0 is released that year. Developers worldwide, we're now able to download and develop in the Java programming environment.
As a result, the user base that began with Netscape spread to 100 companies worldwide, including Microsoft, Apple, and IBM.
3. 1999 The Expanding World of Java
1999 To three markets
In 1999, the structure for the Java platform was restructured for three markets: software developers, service providers, and device manufacturers.
Java SE (Java Platform, Standard Edition)
The platform enables the development of Java applications that run on today's demanding embedded systems and desktops and servers.
It offers a feature-rich user interface, performance, write once, run anywhere, versatility, portability, and essential security.
Java EE (Java Platform, Enterprise Edition )
It provides a low-risk platform with various functions to run information systems for large companies such as banks and trading companies with branches worldwide.
Java ME (Java Platform, Micro Edition)
It is a platform for applications on embedded mobile devices such as cell phones, portable information devices (PDAs), TV set-top boxes, and printers.
It provides a flexible environment in which programs can run securely in an environment where they are not allowed to stop.
It includes a user interface, security, and network support that can adapt flexibly to user requirements.
2005 An increasing number of users
In 2005, over 4.5 million Java developers, 2.5 billion Java-powered devices, and 1 billion Java-embedded Smart Cards were produced.
It is now seen as the most standard language in the world.
2007 Android and JavaFX announced
In 2007, Google announced Android, which uses Java for application development. Of course, it also includes a dedicated Java Virtual Machine.
At the JavaOne conference, JavaFX was also announced, a platform for developing user interfaces including animation and multimedia playback. Initially independent of Java SE, it is now included in Java SE.
2010 Acquisition by Oracle
2010, the year Oracle acquired Oracle, now owns sun Microsystems, Inc. With this acquisition, all rights to Java. Today, Java is one of the significant products and Oracle's database and other products.
Oracle's lawsuit against Google has led some to wonder, "Will Android move away from Java?" There has been some talk that Realistically, however, it is unlikely that they will leave.
They would rather pay a settlement than rebuild the entire platform they have built up to this point.
There are rumors that it will be Apple's Swift language, but that is even more unlikely.
4. 2013 Java Continues to Evolve
2013 Java 7
In 2013, Java 7 was released. This release provided the ability to facilitate the development of browsers using HTML5 through bi-directional, high-speed communication via WebSockets.
It also provided a simple function for handling JSON format data, widely used in web applications.
2014 Java 8
In 2014, Java 8 was released. Many new features were added, including functional interfaces such as Lambdas and parallel processing using Streams.
Especially in the information age, where Big Data is increasingly being utilized, it is essential to have the technology to distribute large amounts of data to computers and parallel process it simultaneously.
The latest version incorporates functions to meet the needs of this era.
References
This article was adapted from the following site.
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/overview/index.html
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/embedded/javame/index.html,
- http://oracle.com.edgesuite.net/timeline/java/
Summary
In this article, I have given you an overview of the history of Java, except for the complicated details.
Java was born under the philosophy of "write once, run anywhere." And it continues to evolve in line with that philosophy.
The number of places where Java will work will continue to increase.
It is also an excellent language to learn, making it a great entry point for engineers.
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