Chapter 1
Introducing Java
Today Java is one of the most popular programming languages for everything from programming games to creating mission-critical applications such as those for trading on Wall Street or controlling Mars rovers. In this lesson you are introduced to some of the very basic Java terms, and you will download and install the Java Development Kit (JDK) and compile your first program.
Why Learn Java?
The Java programming language was originally created in 1995 by James Gosling from Sun Microsystems (currently a subsidiary of Oracle Corporation). The goal was to provide a simpler and platform-independent alternative to C++. You’ll see what platform independence means a little later, in the section “The Life Cycle of a Java Program.” For now, let’s look at some of the reasons why Java can be your language of choice.
Java is a general-purpose programming language that’s used in all industries for almost any type of application. If you master it, your chances of getting employed as a software developer will be higher than if you specialize in some domain-specific programming languages.
There are around six million professional Java developers in the world and the majority of them are ready to share their knowledge by posting blogs and articles or simply answering technical questions online. If you get stuck solving some problem in Java, the chances are very high that you’ll find the solution on the Internet.
Since the pool of Java developers is huge, project managers ...
