Java’s Magic: The Bytecode
The key that allows Java to solve both the security and the portability problems just described is that the output of a Java compiler is not executable code. Rather, it is bytecode. Bytecode is a highly optimized set of instructions designed to be executed by the Java run-time system, which is called the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). In essence, the original JVM was designed as an interpreter for bytecode. This may come as a bit of a surprise because many modern languages are designed to be compiled into executable code due to performance concerns. However, the fact that a Java program is executed by the JVM helps solve the major problems associated with web-based programs. Here is why.
Translating a Java program into ...
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