What is Java
WHAT IS JAVA ?
Java is a high-level, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems, which is now owned by Oracle Corporation. It was designed with the idea of "Write Once, Run Anywhere" (WORA), which means that once a program is written in Java, it can run on any device that has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
James Gosling is known as the father of Java. Before Java, its name was Oak.
FEATURES OF JAVA
The primary objective of Java programming language creation was to make it portable, simple and secure programming language. Apart from this, there are also some excellent features which play an important role in the popularity of this language.
- Platform Independence: Java programs can run on any device that has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Once a Java program is written, it can be executed on different platforms without modifications.
- Object-Oriented: Java is based on the object-oriented programming paradigm, which helps in creating modular and reusable code. It uses objects and classes to organize and structure the code.
- Robust and Secure: It includes features for automatic memory management (garbage collection), strong type checking, and built-in security measures that help prevent various security threats.
- Multi-threading: Java supports concurrent programming by allowing multiple threads to execute simultaneously, enabling efficient utilization of resources and better performance.
- Rich Standard Library (API): Java provides a vast standard library that offers various functionalities for tasks like networking, I/O operations, data manipulation, and more, making development faster and easier.
- Dynamic: Reflection and Generics: Reflection allows Java code to inspect and adapt to different situations at runtime. Generics enable creating flexible, reusable classes and methods.
- Portability: Java's "Write Once, Run Anywhere" concept means that code written in Java can be carried from one computer system to another without modification.
- Performance: While Java is sometimes criticized for being slower than certain languages like C or C++, it has improved significantly over time, and with Just-In-Time (JIT) compilers, it can achieve good performance.
- Community Support: There is a large and active community of developers, providing support, resources, and a wide range of libraries and frameworks for Java development.
- Scalability: Java is used for building small applications as well as large-scale enterprise systems. Its scalability allows for the development of applications of various sizes and complexities.