Java Platform

The Java Platform (computing) is the name for a computing environment from Sun Microsystems which can run applications developed using a standard programming language and set of development tools. In this case, the platform is not a specific hardware or operating system, but rather an execution engine called a virtual machine, and a set of standard libraries which provide common functionality.

The the platform is properly called the Java 2 Platform, and includes both a Standard Edition orJ2SE, an Enterprise Edition or J2EE, and a Micro Edition or J2ME. The current version of the Java 2 platform is alternatively specified as version 1.5 or version 5 (both refer to the same version). A good overview of the myriad of technologies that makes up the Java 2 Platform can be found on the http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/index.html JDK Documentation Page].

Java Technologies

The Java platform consists of a wide array of technologies, each of which provides a distinct portion of the overall development or runtime environment. For example, end-users typically interace with the Java virtual machine and the standard set of Java Class Libraries. In addition, there are numerous ways for Java applications to be deployed, including being embedded into a web page. Lastly, developers who are creating applications for the platform use a set of development tools called the Java Developers Kit.

The heart of the Java platform is the concept of a common "virtual" processor that executes machine code that is distinct from the machine code for the physical hardware. For example, a "native" application running on an Intel Pentium processor would use a completely different binary format from a Java application running on the same processor. The Java platform provides an interpreter program, called the virtual machine, that translates the Java bytecode into native binary at run-time. This permits the same application to be run on any platform that has a virtual machine available.

Normally, applications written

Java Language

Java Software Developer Kit

Java Runtime

In addition to the Java programming language itself, the following languages were specifically designed for the platform:

• Groovy
• Pizza
• GJ
• NetREXX

Similar Platforms

Java was not the first virtual-machine-based platform, though it is by far the most successful and well-known. The success of Java and it's write one, run anywhere concept has led to other similar efforts. The most notable of these is the .NET Platform from Microsoft, which borrows many of the concepts and innovations of Java.