Invented by : James Gosling
Invented in year : 1995

Java is a programming language and environment which is used in various devices like mobile phones, computers etc. The most important feature of Java is its byte code that can be interpreted on any platform including windows, Linux etc. It can be downloaded freely from the official website of Sun. Java was created by engineers working at Sun Microsystems. James Gosling, widely regarded as the "father" of Java. and his team were working on a language designed for embedded devices, such as mobile phones.

It was released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The original and reference implementation Java compilers, virtual machines, and class libraries were developed by Sun from 1995. As of May 2007, in compliance with the specifications of the Java Community Process, Sun made available most of their Java technologies as free software under the GNU General Public License. Others have also developed alternative implementations of these Sun technologies, such as the GNU Compiler for Java and GNU Classpath.

Development in the invention of Java

The writing of Java began in December of 1990. Patrick Naughton, Mike Sheridan, and James Gosling and were trying to figure out the "next wave" in computing.. James Gosling initiated the Java language project in June 1991 for use in one of his many set-top box projects. Gosling aimed to implement a virtual machine and a language that had a familiar C/C++ style of notation.

Sun released the first public implementation as Java 1.0 in 1995. It promised "Write Once, Run Anywhere" (WORA), providing no-cost run-times on popular platforms. Fairly secure and featuring configurable security, it allowed network- and file-access restrictions. Major web browsers soon incorporated the ability to run Java applets within web pages, and Java quickly became popular.

In 1997, Sun Microsystems approached the ISO/IEC JTC1 standards body and later the Ecma International to formalize Java, but it soon withdrew from the process. At one time, Sun made most of its Java implementations available without charge, despite their proprietary software status. Sun generated revenue from Java through the selling of licenses for specialized products such as the Java Enterprise System. Sun distinguishes between its Software Development Kit (SDK) and Runtime Environment (JRE) (a subset of the SDK); the primary distinction involves the JRE's lack of the compiler, utility programs, and header files.

With the advent of Java 2 (released initially as J2SE 1.2 in December 1998), new versions had multiple configurations built for different types of platforms. For example, J2EE targeted enterprise applications and the greatly stripped-down version J2ME for mobile applications. J2SE designated the Standard Edition. In 2006, for marketing purposes, Sun renamed new J2 versions as Java EE, Java ME, and Java SE, respectively.On 13 November 2006, Sun released much of Java as free and open source software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). On 8 May 2007 Sun finished the process, making all of Java's core code available under free software / open-source distribution terms, aside from a small portion of code to which Sun did not hold the copyright.

James Gosling initially wanted to go with the name oak but it was crossed down by trademark lawyers. After a lot of thinking, a naming consultant was approached. A meeting took place and several questions were asked to Gosling and his team such as How does this thing make you feel?, What else makes you feel that way? etc etc. After this many names were ranked and around a dozen names were chosen and sent to the lawyers for their approval. Java was fourth on the list and was given the green signal after Mark Opperman yelled the name first.

Role of Java in the Improvement Of Human Life
  • The invention of Java led to it's widespread usage in a wide range of devices, computers, and networks. From laptops to datacenters, game consoles to scientific supercomputers, cell phones to the Internet, Java is everywhere.
  • Java is used in every major industry segment and has a presence in endless devices including: PCs, mobile phones and other hand-held devices, smart cards, set-top boxes, printers, Web cams, games, car navigation systems, lottery terminals, medical devices, parking payment stations, and more.
  • Java is a thoroughly tested, refined, extended, and proven by a dedicated community. Such development has made Java a Versatile tool and can be run on virtually any platform
  • It is used to create programs to run within a Web browser and Web services, develop server-side applications for online forums, stores, polls, HTML forms processing, combining applications or services using the Java language to create highly customized applications or services, writing powerful and efficient applications for mobile phones, remote processors, low-cost consumer products and practically any other device with a digital heartbeat.