History of the Java Programming Language & Its Evolution

Have you recently started learning the Java programming language? In that case, you should have a strong knowledge of the history of Java programming language. When learning popular programming languages, Java is one of the first choices among students and people alike. It is one of the most widely used programming languages worldwide. Mostly, it is a general-purpose, object-oriented language, platform-independent high programming language. Returning to May 23, 1995, Sun Microsystems publicly presented the Java programming language. It was designed by two masterminds named James Gosling and Patrick Naughton. Both of them worked for Sun Microsystems at that time. Later on, in 2009, Oracle purchased Sun Microsystems, thereby explaining why Java belonged to Oracle.

Going through this article, you will get a more robust understanding of the history of Java programming language.

What do you mean by Java?

Java is a programming language that is mostly used to develop applications running on multiple devices. Due to its vast scope and usability, Java allows programmers to design applications that adhere to mobile devices, POS terminals, IOT, web pages, ATMs, and others. Even though other programming languages like Kotlin are taking over Android development. Java for software development still has a stronghold due to its UI-specific libraries for mobile Android programmers.

Brief History of Java

Initially, the story of the evolution of Java was started under a project called Green, which James Gosling supervised. The primary purpose of this project was to develop a programming language that helps design smart TVs, set-top boxes, and other consumer electronic products. Each of those devices required a language that was easily portable, robust, simple, and tightly secured. This category of devices was subjected to limited memory space and overall processing power. Therefore, it needed to establish reliable communication over a variety of networks.

Interestingly, the history of Java programming language tells us that Green Talk was the first name suggested by the team. However, it was later renamed Oak due to an Oak tree that stood tall outside James Gosling’s office. Nonetheless, Oak was also rejected as it was emerging as a new platform for distributed computing and information sharing.

Beginning of the Java Era

On the auspicious day of January 23, 1996, version 1 of Java was officially opened. This simultaneously led to the current launch of Java 18 in 2022. The events in between those launches are pointed out below:

• Java 1.1 (February 19, 1997)
  Java 2 (December 8, 1998)
  Java 3 (May 8, 2000)
  Java 4 (February 6, 2002)
  Java 5 (September 30, 2004)
  Java 6 (December 11, 2006)
  Java 7 (July 28, 2011)
  Java 8 (March 18, 2014)
  Java 9 (September 21, 2017)
  Java 10 (March 20, 2018)
  Java 11 (September 25, 2018)
  Java 12 (March 19, 2019)
  Java 13 (September 17, 2019)
  Java 14 (March 17, 2020)
  Java 15 (September 15, 2020)
  Java 16 (March 16, 2021)
  Java 17 (September 21, 2021)
  Java 18 (March 20, 2022)

How did Java become the best Programming Language?

On the eve of 1993, James Gosling’s team presented their technology to Time Warner, who immediately showed interest in using the language for interactive TV. However, after multiple research and domain checks, the cable industry was deemed still being prepared to use this advanced form of programming language. By that time, HTTP protocol and Mosaic browser had started to appear on the market. This led to the green team deciding that the Internet would be the best place to launch their Java development company.

Within two years, in 1995, James Gosling launched the most awaited browser called WebRunner. This browser initially showed its capability to mix HTML content with Applets. It was by that time that things started to accelerate for Java when java.sun.com officially got released to the public.

Most importantly, this Java name originated from coffee in Indonesia, which was the favorite drink of programmers. The production of this coffee was initiated on the island of Java, located in Indonesia.

Why is the Java Programming Language the Best Language?

Once you have received a brief on the history of Java programming language, it is time for you to learn about the features that have helped Java to become a popular and beneficial programming language. Some of those features have been explained in the points below:

Compiled and interpreted

Java language is a combination of compiled languages with the added flexibility of interpreted languages. The compiler, in this case, is responsible for compiling the source code into bytecode, which gets executed by Virtual Machine, thereby transforming it into machine-readable language.

Platform independent and portability

The compilation of languages in Java establishes its most helpful feature and provides platform independence and portability. When it comes to platform independence, this means other machines can read a program compiled on a particular machine.

Keep in mind you already have the JVM installed in your application. Similarly, the portable feature allows the same code to be run on different platforms with hardware compatibility. The programmers need not make any changes or tweaks to make Java work.

Completely secure

Security is one of the critical aspects that a programming language must have to be used widely. Thus, defining the usability of Java security is its primary attribute. Its memory management system and automatic garbage collection features efficiently handle allocated memories.

This reduced manual tasking, as in other programming languages called C/C++. Moreover, Java is a powerfully written programming language that significantly reduces the overall bug count.

Conclusion

From reading the article itself, the history of Java programming language stretches way back to 1991. It has gone through plenty of changes and significant updates over the years. Nonetheless, each new version of Java has made itself more robust and more popular among other programming languages. As things stand, Java is a widely used programming language for developing Internet applications. To learn about popular Java development frameworks, you can read this article as well.

FAQs

What is the original name of Java Programming Language?

Oak was the original name of the Java programming language that was decided upon after the discovery of an oak tree outside Gosling’s office. However, with time, this name was dropped, and moving forward, it was renamed into Java.

What was the reason Java was developed?

The history of Java programming language tells us that Java was initially designed as a research project for developing advanced software. This advanced software comprised network devices and embedded systems.

What is the logo of Java?

The logo consists of a blue coffee cup with red steam hovering above it. This logo signifies the original Java developers’ love for coffee.

Where is Java used Mostly?

Java is mainly utilized in creating online applications, as it makes the work for developers fairly easy. The programmers can easily meet clients’ demands without making many changes.