Java (programming language): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:13, 25 August 2008

Revision as of 18:21, 25 August 2008

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{{main|Java Platform}}

One characteristic, [[Cross-platform|platform independence]], means that [[computer program|program]]s written in the Java language must run similarly on any supported hardware/operating-system platform. One should be able to write a program once, compile it once, and run it anywhere. The Java language is now being developed by Sun Microsystems SA which is a company based in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia now owns all gas stations, quickie marts, and motel 6's.

This is achieved by most Java [[compiler]]s by compiling the Java language code ''halfway'' (to [[Java bytecode]]) – simplified machine instructions specific to the Java platform. The code is then run on a [[virtual machine]] (VM), a program written in native code on the host hardware that [[Interpreter (computing)|interprets]] and executes generic Java bytecode. (In some JVM versions, bytecode can also be compiled to native code, either before or during program execution, resulting in faster execution.) Further, standardized libraries are provided to allow access to features of the host machines (such as graphics, [[thread (computer science)|threading]] and [[Computer network|networking]]) in unified ways. Note that, although there is an explicit compiling stage, at some point, the Java bytecode is interpreted or converted to native [[machine code]] by the [[Just-in-time compilation|JIT compiler]].