History of Java
Quick points about history of Java.
- The journey of Java started from 1991, a team of engineers of Sun Microsystem which called as Green Team started to develop Java.
- James Gosling is called as father of Java.
- James Gosling given the first name of Java as Greentalk and file extension was .gt
- Later Greentalk name have changed by name Oak.
- In 1992 Due to trademark issue with Oak Technology again it’s name changed and finally named as Java.
- In 1992, The first Java application was tested and run by Green team in a device named as Star Seven.
- This device was tech screen similar as now day’s smartphones.
- The first version of Java was released on January 23, 1996 and named as JDK 1.0
- In 2010 Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems.
Why Java was developed ?
This is very important question, we should know why Java was developed, what was the need which inforce to develop Java. To know the answer of these questions we have to know the growth of different programming approach.
C Programming Language
- C was developed in 1970’s by Dennis Ritchie.
- It solved the problem of past languages, it was a powerful, efficient, structured and easy to learn.
- Designed by real programs, prior it was academics.
- C was very popular during 1970’s to 1980’s.
- From 1970-80 C was dominant language.
- Its still used today.
Problem with C
Although C is very powerful programming language, but there are many complexity while developing large program, some important complexity given below.
- goto statement – In a large program, where we need many goto jump statement, it’s make very complex programming to understand the flow of program.
- There was a problem with UI, it was very complex to design UI controls like button.
- C is a grate language; however there was a need that come after it. That is complexity.
- Programs becomes more and more complex, and so better ways to handle this complexity was needed.
C++ was response to this need ( C++ after C )
- But by the 1980’s programs pushed structured programming past it’s limits.
- To fix this problem a new way of programming knows as “OOP” or Object orientated programming was invented.
- So while C is a grate language, being structured there is a point where one can’t grasp the entirety of the program. It simply get to complex.
- C++ implemented features that broke this threshold, allowing programmers to make more complex applications.
- C++ was made by Bjarne Stroustrup in 1979
Need of Platform Independent
Since both C and C++ are platform dependent languages, these languages needs specific OS, specific environment to run programs, around 1990’s the concept of Internet, world wide web emerged and there felt a need of independent programming language which can be run on any OS. Java was able to fill this need and it’s become most famous programming language, but this wasn’t the region of birth of Java.
Birth of Java
Around 1990 Television, Remote, refrigerator and other electronic devices being developed, these devices were different size and design. It was very complex to manage these devices with platform dependent programming language because they needed specific platform so in implementing those platform there was a need to compromise with architecture and design of devices. Java was the solution of all these problems, thus Java was developed because it was the need of situation.
Java’s Ancestry
- Java is related to C++.
- Java’s syntax is derived from C language
- Java was really a response to its predecessors, they change for the better.
- Java was built to solve a problem that before couldn’t be solved
- “ write once run anywhere"