Java Development, Recruitment and Consultancy


OPAL login


 

Java - A brief history

Java without the Palaver

Java was conceived in 1991 by a team at Sun Microsystems as part of the "Green Project" set up to look into the future and anticipate the next wave in computing. The use of digital technologies in consumer devices was wide-spread and there was a growing recoginition that the convergence of digital technologies heralded the need for a platform-independent language. One of this team, Bill Joy is given credit for the initial concept called Oak, later to be called Java. It took until 1995 before the language strode out onto the public stage as part of the Netscape Navigator Internet browser.

Java changes to C++

Inheritancemultiple-inheritance and operator overloading are not allowed as they need careful management and can be a potential source of errors
Garbage CollectionC/C++ has always been vulnerable to memory leaks that can lead to a program running out of memory and crashing. Java incorporates garbage collection that deals with this problem and can yield very efficient memory utilisation.
Strict TypingUnsafe constructs are possible in C/C++, which can lead to problems. Java provides strict typing and only allows data structures within objects.
SecurityPointers are not implemented as they can allow malicious programs to access arbitrary addresses in memory
To address needs of these digital devices there were several criteria that Oak had to meet:
  • The number of different manufacturers in the market using different architecures and CPUs meant Oak would have to be completely platform independent
  • These devices could not never 'crash' or need to be 'rebooted. Reliability was essential. However, a reliable implementation of the language does not necessarily lead to reliable programs. To reduce the likelihood of programmer errors the language needed to be less like C++ and thus not allow programmers the freedom to 'shoot themselves in the foot' (see table)
  • Often devices were on a network where security is always an issue.

The Internet was begining to take hold and although it was not the potent force it is now, its potential for explosive growth was the stuff of headlines, leading to the halcyon days of the "dot.com" boom.

By its very nature, the Internet needs reliability, security and architectural independence. Java, while not initially targeted at the Internet, was ideally suited to the job. Sun formally announced Java and HotJava at SunWorld '95. Soon after, Netscape Inc. announced that it would incorporate Java support in its browser. This was a significant milestone for Java as was now supported by what was at the time the most popular browser in the world. Later, Microsoft also announced that it would support Java in its Internet Explorer web browser, further solidifying Java's role as the language of the Internet.

As the importance of the Internet grew so did Java, leading ultimately to the sophisticated and powerful language it is today.