2.2. The Java Programming Language

The Java programming language has an interesting history, and draws heavily from earlier object-oriented languages such as C++ and Smalltalk. While the success of Java has been phenomenal, it is important to remember that as of 2002, Java was still the “new kid on the block.”

2.2.1. History and Origins of Java

Java had very humble beginnings. In the early 1990s a team at Sun Microsystems began work on a language for the embedded systems market. This language would be used to develop the software that would power consumer electronics products such as handheld PDA units. The language, when completed, was called Oak, named after the type of tree outside the project leader's window.

James Gosling, affectionately ...

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