A high-level programing language developed by Sun

Microsystems. Java was originally called OAK, and was designed for
handheld devices and set-top boxes. Oak was unsuccessful so in 1995
Sun changed the name to Java and modified the language to take
advantage of the burgeoning World Wide Web.
Java is an object-oriented language similar to C++, but simplified
to eliminate language features that cause common programing errors.
Java source code files (files with a .java extension) are compiled into a
format called byte code (files with a .class extension), which can then be
executed by a Java interpreter.
Compiled Java code can run
on most computers because
Java interpreters and runtime
environments, known as Java
Virtual Machines (VMs),
exist for most operating
systems, including UNIX, the
Macintosh OS, and
Windows. Byte code can also
be converted directly into
machine language instructions by a Just-In-Time Compiler (JIT).
Small Java applications are called Java applets and can be
downloaded from a Web server and run on your computer by a Java-
compatible Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft
Internet Explorer. James Gosling is known as “Father of Java”. When
he had developed this language, he named it “Oak”.
James got the name OAK because he was staring at the oak tree
outside his office window when he was thinking of the language’s name.
People think that the name JAVA came into existence after the name of
the brains that developed it James Gosling, Arthur Van Hoff and
Andy Bechtolshein.
 In 1991, the Sun
Microsystems (Broomfield
Colorado, U.S.A) set a
team under James Gosling
for development of a
computer language to
support columns human
digital devices and web
browsing. In the summer
of 1992 a working version
was produced with the
name OAK which was
later changed to JAVA.
This was formed to be an
adjunct to Web
Technology, when in 1993
Mosaics Web Browser was
released. Still it was urgent
that two requirements were
fulfilled:
1. Architecture And Independence
2. Security. JAMES GOSLING
Web users might be using different types of machines. Web
servers should be able to serve one and all in spite of architectural
differences of the machines.
This was achieved by designing a Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
which can compile a downloaded application program (applets)
converting into byte codes. In 1984 Hot java browser containing the
Java Virtual Machine was developed by Sun Microsystems. To provide
security guards ensure that the web server in no way could have access
to information of the user’s computer.
 On May 23, 1999 Netscape Communications having more than
70 % share of the web browser market at that time, date lead that as part
of Netscape Navigators, java virtual machine was a amalgamated. Guys
are shut in an era which witnessed mushrooming of java use.
Originally, John
was designed to execute
applets downloaded while
web browsing. But
gradually, and language
has been gaining
acceptance as a
programming language,
very often replacing C or
C++.
In 1999 Sun
Microsystems produced
Java2 with Software Development Kit (SDK), version 1.2 and took
copyright.
JAVA is an object oriented programming language. It was
developed as a full fledge programing language in which one could
accomplish the same sorts of tasks and solve the similar problems that
one can in other programing languages, as C ++, BASIC etc. The
platform independence is one of the most significant advantages that
JAVA has over other programing language. It is the capacity of moving
from one computer system to another.
JAVA, being an object oriented programing language
encapsulates many features of C ++. It also includes a set of class
libraries that providing basic data types, system input and output
capabilities, and other utility methods.