Java bytecode: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:14, 21 May 2007

Revision as of 13:06, 23 May 2007

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A [[Java (programming language)|Java]] programmer does not need to be aware of or understand Java bytecode at all. However, as suggested in the [[IBM]] developerWorks journal, "Understanding bytecode and what bytecode is likely to be generated by a Java compiler helps the Java programmer in the same way that knowledge of assembler helps the [[C (programming language)|C]] or [[C++]] programmer."<ref>[http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/ibm/library/it-haggar_bytecode/ Understanding bytecode makes you a better programmer]</ref>

It is possible to write Java bytecode by hand, howeverthough this method is almost never useddone, inas real life because nowadays themodern [[compiler]]s are able to compileproduce well performing codebytecode and nearlysuch no personcode is ablefar toless comprehendreadable a piece ofthan Java bytecode of considerable sizesource. Originally only one compiler existed, the [[javac]] compiler from Sun Microsystems, which compiles [[Java source code]] to Java bytecode.; Butbut because all the specifications for Java bytecode are available, other parties have supplied compilers that produce Java bytecode. E.g.:

* [[Jikes]], compiles from the Java programming language to Java bytecode

* [[JGNAT]] and [[AdaMagic|AppletMagic]], compile from the [[Ada programming language]] to Java bytecode