What is Java? History, Features & JDK, JRE, JVM Explained
4 minute
What is Java? History, Features & Editions (JDK / JRE / JVM
Java is one of the most popular and powerful programming languages in the world. It is known for its simplicity, reliability, and platform independence, making it ideal for beginners as well as professionals.
What is Java?
Java is a high-level, object-oriented, and platform-independent programming language developed by Sun Microsystems (now owned by Oracle).
It is used to build:
Desktop applications
Web applications
Mobile apps (Android)
Cloud and enterprise solutions
Games and IoT devices
The main idea behind Java is “Write Once, Run Anywhere” (WORA) — meaning a Java program can run on any system that has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), without needing changes.
History of Java
1991: Java project started by James Gosling and team at Sun Microsystems, originally named Oak.
1995: Officially released as Java, with the slogan “Write Once, Run Anywhere”, focusing on platform independence.
1998: Launch of Java 2 (J2SE, J2EE, J2ME) – dividing Java into Standard, Enterprise, and Micro Editions.
2004:Java 5 introduced major features like Generics, Enhanced for-loop, and Annotations.
2006: Sun Microsystems made Java open-source under the GPL license.
2009:Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems and took over Java’s development.