Practical Java Programming for IoT, AI, and Blockchain

CHAPTER 1Introduction to Java

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.”

—Oscar Wilde

• 1.1 What Is Java?
• 1.2 Versions of Java
• 1.3 Java Architecture
• 1.4 Editions of Java
• 1.5 The Java Spring Framework
• 1.6 Advantages and Disadvantages of Java
• 1.7 Java Certificates
• 1.8 Summary
• 1.9 Chapter Review Questions

1.1 What Is Java?

Java is a high-level, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language that was originally developed by James Gosling, a Canadian computer scientist, at what was then Sun Microsystems, in the U.S. state of California in 1991. Sun Microsystems was later acquired by Oracle Corporation, also in California, in 2010. Java was a byproduct of Sun's “Green” project, and it was originally designed as a platform-independent language for programming household electronic appliances. However, Java was too advanced for such applications. Gosling designed Java syntax based on the C and C++ languages, but with fewer low-level facilities. Java was named after the popular Indonesian Java coffee. Java first appeared in 1995, through the HotJava and Netscape web browsers, as a plug-in called Java Applets, which could add dynamic content and interactions to static, pale web pages. Java soon became popular with all the major web browsers incorporating the ability to run Java applets. You've probably seen the famous Java logo, a cup of hot coffee, along with the Java mascot, Duke. Today, after decades of effect, Java has been developed into a fully functional, ...