01.01. History of Java

History of Java


The history of Java began in the early 1990s when Sun Microsystems’ developers, led by James Gosling, started developing a new programming language for embedded devices. They wanted a language that could run on any device regardless of its hardware or operating system and was easy to learn with a syntax similar to C and C++.

The first version of Java, called Oak, was created in 1991 but was renamed Java due to naming conflicts. In 1995, Sun Microsystems released Java 1.0, which became popular among developers because of its platform independence and ability to run on various devices. Java also had features that made developing large-scale software systems easier, like garbage collection and automatic memory management.

One reason for Java’s success was that Sun Microsystems released it as open-source software, allowing developers to access the source code and modify it without paying for a license or relying on proprietary software.

The initial phase of Java

Java has evolved to become a popular language for web development and enterprise software systems because of its platform independence, simplicity, and open-source nature. New features were introduced in Java 1.1 and Java 2 to make it easier to run on different devices, and JavaServer Pages (JSP) was released in 1999 to create dynamic web pages.

Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) was launched in 2006 and included tools and frameworks for building enterprise software systems. Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems in 2009, improving Java with new features and updates regularly.

Today, Java is widely used for mobile app development and enterprise software systems, and its success story continues due to its platform independence, ease of use, and open-source nature. It’s likely to remain a key player in the programming world for years to come.

Contributed by: Salim Sheikh

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