Topic: JAVA

The name Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems and refers to the programming language developed by Sun and released in public alpha and beta versions in 1995. Java is used to create executable content that can be distributed through networks. Used generically, the name Java refers to a set of software tools for creating and implementing executable content using the Java programming language.

In order for users to use Java content, they must have a key piece of Java software—the Java interpreter. To view Java content on the Web, a user’s Web browser must be Java-enabled. In the alpha release of Java, available during the spring and summer of 1995, only the special browser called HotJava could interpret programs created by the Java language. HotJava was developed by Sun to showcase the capabilities of the Java programming language. Other brands of Web browsers have since been upgraded to be able to interpret Java programs, most notably, the Netscape Navigator Web browser.

A Java-enabled Web browser has the same capabilities as a non-Java Web browser, but additionally has the capability to interpret and display Java’s executable content. A Web browser that is not Java-enabled does not recognize Java and thus can’t display the Java executable content. Thus, Java-enabled browsers “see” the Web plus more—applications written using Java.

As described in the section on Java’s origins (Java Origins and Direction), Java capability is expected to be integrated into future versions of other Web browsers and network tools.

At the moment, probably the most compelling reason to learn Java-and probably the reason you bought this book-is that applets are written in Java. Even if that were not the case, Java as a programming language has significant advantages over other languages and other environments that make it suitable for just about any programming task. This section describes some of those advantages.

Platform independence-that is, the ability of a program to move easily from one computer system to another-is one of the most significant advantages that Java has over other programming languages, particularly if your software needs to run on many different platforms. If you're writing software for the World Wide Web, being able to run the same program on many different systems is crucial to that program's success. Java is platform independent at both the source and the binary level.

Contents
1. A Introduction to Java
2. Java-Basics
3. Object-Oriented Programming and Java