This chapter will cover the history behind the Java Language and other related technologies. We will then look at capabilities and limitations of device such as mobile phones before finally looking at the evolution of J2ME.
Java's Acorn
In early 1995, Sun released an alpha of a new software environment dubbed Java. During the first six months after Java's release, the Industry spent most its time making bad jokes and puns about coffee beans and Indonesian Islands. (Is it irony that there is great surfing around the island of Java?) It did not take long, however, for the "Write Once, Run Anywhere" call to arms to be taken up. Slowly and inexorably, Java began its march to the top. But before I rush off into Java's glory days, I want to take a brief look at Java's history.
The earliest traces of Java go back to eraly 1990s, when the Sun formed a special technical team asked with developing next wave of computing. After one those 18-month, secret-location, round the clock, caffeine-driven geek-fests, sounds like a game development project, if you ask me- the team emerged with the results: a handheld home-entertainment device controller with an animated touchscreen interface known as the *7 (star seven).
Now that a decade has passed, I would't really call *7 the next wave of computing, but hey -they didn't even have the Internet or mobile phones, let alone the Internet on mobile phones.
The real action, however, wasn't with the device, it was with the back end technology that powered it. One of the requirements of the project was an embedded sofware environment that was robust hardware-independent, and that facilitated low-cost development. Enter the hero of our story, James Gosling, a Canadian software engineer working with team.
Taking some of the best elements of C++, while including the trouble some memory management, pointers, and multiple inheritance -along with consepts from the early object oriented laguage SIMULA- James created a new language dubbed Oak. (It was named after a tree outside his window. I wonder if an Indonesian island appreared outside his window sometime later, in which case think he should really lay off the Jolt form while.)
Oak's power wasn't only in its language design; there were plenty of other object-oriented languages. Oak blossoed it encompassed everything. James didn't create a language and then let other people implement it as they saw it. The goal ofOak was hard environtment. From virtual computers to functional APIs, Oak provided -and, more imprtantly, controlled- everything.
Unfortunately, *7 flundered around like a legless cow in a butcher shop until 1994, when, during a three day, non step, mountain reteat geek-fest, James (along with Bill Joy, Wayne Rosing, John Gage, Eric Schmidt, and Patrick Naughton) saw a new opportunity for their acorn- the Internet.
Arrount the same time, that new fangled Internet thing was emerging as a mainstream technology. The word wide web was being used to transfer and display digital content in the form of pictures, text, and even audio almost universally on a variety of hardware.
The goals of the Web were not dissimiliar to that of Oak: profide a system to let you write content once, but view it anywhere. Sound familiar? Oak was attempting to do the same thing, but for programming. Imaging if the Internet where used as the framework upon which Oak software could be distributed and universally deployed. James and his pocket protected buddies were on to something big.
Java's Growth in the Sun
After the Oak meet Internet epiphany, James and the team at Sun developed a host technologies around the concept of a universally deploy able language and platform. One of their first task was to develop the Java-compatible browser known as Hot java (although the early versions had the much cooler name WebRunner, after the movie Black Runner).
On May 23, 1995, one of the defining moments in the history of computing occurred. They then young Netscape Corporation agreed to integrate Java into its almost universal popular Navigator Web browser, thus creating an unprecedented audience for the Java software.
Sun programmers from all across the globe flooded the Java Web site to download the new platform. Sun complete underestimated the platform's popularity and struggled the upgrade bandwidth to cope with the rush. Before anyone realized it, something changed in the IT word. Kicking and screaming, Java had arrived.
Development of the Java platform continued aggressively over the following years, with the subsequent release of a great deal of supporting technology. New editions, especially one targeting enterprise software development, have arguably become more popular that the original technology.
However, one thing remains the same for me -I still chose Java over any language. The code simpler, the development is faster, and the bugs are easier to find. It just works -almost everywhere.
What is Java?
Java is more than a programming language, it is a way of life. You should immediately terminate all other activities and devote your life entirely to the pursuit of perfection in your Java code. Not! But seriously, coding Java programs is a great a way to kill a few hours.
Java is a little different than your typical programming language. First, most programming language process code by either compiling or interpreting; Java does both. The initial compile phase translates your source code (.php file) into an intermediate language called java bytecode (.class files). The resulting bytecode is then ready to be executed (interpreted) within a special virtual computer known as the JVM (Java Virtual Machine).
The Java Virtual Machine is a simulated computer that executes all the bytecode instructions. It's through the JVM that Java gains its portability because it acts as a consistent layer between bytecode and the actual machine intructions -bytecode instructions are translated into machine specific instructions by the JVM at runtime.
Compiled bytecode is the power behind Java's "Write once, Run Anywhere" flexibility. All a target platform on which they were originally compiled.
However, to make all this work successfully, you need more than just a programming language -you need a programming platform. The Java platform is made up of three significant components :
The Java API is a collection of Java class covering a vast range of funcionallity incuding containers, data management, communications, IO, security, and more. There are literally thousand of classes available as part of the Java platform.
Java's Acorn
In early 1995, Sun released an alpha of a new software environment dubbed Java. During the first six months after Java's release, the Industry spent most its time making bad jokes and puns about coffee beans and Indonesian Islands. (Is it irony that there is great surfing around the island of Java?) It did not take long, however, for the "Write Once, Run Anywhere" call to arms to be taken up. Slowly and inexorably, Java began its march to the top. But before I rush off into Java's glory days, I want to take a brief look at Java's history.
The earliest traces of Java go back to eraly 1990s, when the Sun formed a special technical team asked with developing next wave of computing. After one those 18-month, secret-location, round the clock, caffeine-driven geek-fests, sounds like a game development project, if you ask me- the team emerged with the results: a handheld home-entertainment device controller with an animated touchscreen interface known as the *7 (star seven).
Now that a decade has passed, I would't really call *7 the next wave of computing, but hey -they didn't even have the Internet or mobile phones, let alone the Internet on mobile phones.
The real action, however, wasn't with the device, it was with the back end technology that powered it. One of the requirements of the project was an embedded sofware environment that was robust hardware-independent, and that facilitated low-cost development. Enter the hero of our story, James Gosling, a Canadian software engineer working with team.
Taking some of the best elements of C++, while including the trouble some memory management, pointers, and multiple inheritance -along with consepts from the early object oriented laguage SIMULA- James created a new language dubbed Oak. (It was named after a tree outside his window. I wonder if an Indonesian island appreared outside his window sometime later, in which case think he should really lay off the Jolt form while.)
Oak's power wasn't only in its language design; there were plenty of other object-oriented languages. Oak blossoed it encompassed everything. James didn't create a language and then let other people implement it as they saw it. The goal ofOak was hard environtment. From virtual computers to functional APIs, Oak provided -and, more imprtantly, controlled- everything.
Unfortunately, *7 flundered around like a legless cow in a butcher shop until 1994, when, during a three day, non step, mountain reteat geek-fest, James (along with Bill Joy, Wayne Rosing, John Gage, Eric Schmidt, and Patrick Naughton) saw a new opportunity for their acorn- the Internet.
Arrount the same time, that new fangled Internet thing was emerging as a mainstream technology. The word wide web was being used to transfer and display digital content in the form of pictures, text, and even audio almost universally on a variety of hardware.
The goals of the Web were not dissimiliar to that of Oak: profide a system to let you write content once, but view it anywhere. Sound familiar? Oak was attempting to do the same thing, but for programming. Imaging if the Internet where used as the framework upon which Oak software could be distributed and universally deployed. James and his pocket protected buddies were on to something big.
Java's Growth in the Sun
After the Oak meet Internet epiphany, James and the team at Sun developed a host technologies around the concept of a universally deploy able language and platform. One of their first task was to develop the Java-compatible browser known as Hot java (although the early versions had the much cooler name WebRunner, after the movie Black Runner).
On May 23, 1995, one of the defining moments in the history of computing occurred. They then young Netscape Corporation agreed to integrate Java into its almost universal popular Navigator Web browser, thus creating an unprecedented audience for the Java software.
Sun programmers from all across the globe flooded the Java Web site to download the new platform. Sun complete underestimated the platform's popularity and struggled the upgrade bandwidth to cope with the rush. Before anyone realized it, something changed in the IT word. Kicking and screaming, Java had arrived.
Development of the Java platform continued aggressively over the following years, with the subsequent release of a great deal of supporting technology. New editions, especially one targeting enterprise software development, have arguably become more popular that the original technology.
However, one thing remains the same for me -I still chose Java over any language. The code simpler, the development is faster, and the bugs are easier to find. It just works -almost everywhere.
What is Java?
Java is more than a programming language, it is a way of life. You should immediately terminate all other activities and devote your life entirely to the pursuit of perfection in your Java code. Not! But seriously, coding Java programs is a great a way to kill a few hours.
Java is a little different than your typical programming language. First, most programming language process code by either compiling or interpreting; Java does both. The initial compile phase translates your source code (.php file) into an intermediate language called java bytecode (.class files). The resulting bytecode is then ready to be executed (interpreted) within a special virtual computer known as the JVM (Java Virtual Machine).
The Java Virtual Machine is a simulated computer that executes all the bytecode instructions. It's through the JVM that Java gains its portability because it acts as a consistent layer between bytecode and the actual machine intructions -bytecode instructions are translated into machine specific instructions by the JVM at runtime.
Compiled bytecode is the power behind Java's "Write once, Run Anywhere" flexibility. All a target platform on which they were originally compiled.
However, to make all this work successfully, you need more than just a programming language -you need a programming platform. The Java platform is made up of three significant components :
- The Java compiler and toos
- The Java Virtual Machine
- The Java API (Application Programming Interface)
The Java API is a collection of Java class covering a vast range of funcionallity incuding containers, data management, communications, IO, security, and more. There are literally thousand of classes available as part of the Java platform.