history of java research paper

An Introduction to Java and Its History

• First Online: 14 December 2021

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• Iuliana Cosmina 2  

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According to Google Search, at the end of 2020, 9492 companies reportedly use Java in their tech stacks including Google and the company that I, the author of this book, worked for while this book was being written. Even after 25 years, Java continues to be one of the most influential programming languages. It all started in 1990, when an American company that was leading the revolution in computer industry decided to gather its best engineers to design and develop a product that would allow them to become an important player in the new emerging Internet world. Among those engineers was James Arthur Gosling, a Canadian computer scientist who is recognized as the father of the Java programming language. It would take five years of design, programming, and one renaming (from Oak to Java because of trademark issues), but finally on January 23, 1996 Java 1.0 was released for Linux, Solaris, Mac and Windows.

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Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(software_platform) .

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The story behind the logo can be read at “Title,” https://goodlogo.com/extended.info/sunmicrosystems-logo-2385 , accessed October 15, 2021. You can also read more about Sun Microsystems.

The language was named by James Gosling, after the oak tree in front of his house.

J ust I n T ime

All codenames, for intermediary releases too, are listed at Oracle, “JDK Releases,” http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/codenames-136090.html , accessed October 15, 2021.

If you want to see the contents and the list of Java Specification Requests, see Java Community Process, http://www.jcp.org/en/jsr/detail?id=59 , accessed October 15, 2021.

The Java language was first named Oak. It was renamed to Java because of copyright issues. There are a few theories that you will find regarding the new name. There is one saying that the JAVA name is actually a collection of the initials of the names being part of the Green team: James Gosling, Arthur Van Hoff, and Andy Bechtolsheim, and that the logo is inspired by their love of coffee.

Let’s call them what they actually are: hotfixes.

Open JDK, “JEP 223: New Version-String Scheme,” http://openjdk.java.net/jeps/223 , accessed October 15, 2021.

Conventions described by Open JDK, “JEP 322: Time-Based Release Versioning,” http://openjdk.java.net/jeps/322 , accessed October 15, 2021.

The complete list can be found at Open JDK, “JDK 10,” http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk/10 , accessed October 15, 2021, and the release notes containing the detailed list with API and internal changes can be found at Oracle, “JDK 10 Release Notes,” https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase/10-relnote-issues.html , accessed October 15, 2021.

The full list of features is at Open JDK, “JDK 11,” http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk/11/ , accessed October 15, 2021.

If you are curious, you can read a detailed specification for it at Open JDK, “Time-Based Release Versioning.”

The full list of features is at Open JDK, “JDK 12,” http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk/12/ , accessed October 15, 2021.

Based on Java Microbenchmark Harness, Open JDK, “Code Tools: jmh,” https://openjdk.java.net/projects/code-tools/jmh/ , accessed October 15, 2021.

The full list of features is at Open JDK, “JDK 13,” http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk/13/ , accessed October 15, 2021.

The full list of features is at Open JDK, “JDK 14,” http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk/14/ , accessed October 15, 2021.

The full list of features is at Open JDK, “JDK 15,” http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk/15/ , accessed October 15, 2021.

The full list of features is at Open JDK, “JDK 16,” http://openjdk.java.net/projects/jdk/16/ , accessed October 15, 2021.

The full list of features is at JDK.java.net , “JDK 17 General-Availability Release,” https://jdk.java.net/17 , accessed October 15, 2021.

You can start your reading here, if you consider it necessary: Free Java Guide, “History of Java Programming Language,” https://www.freejavaguide.com/history.html , accessed October 15, 2021.

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Cosmina, I. (2022). An Introduction to Java and Its History. In: Java 17 for Absolute Beginners. Apress, Berkeley, CA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-7080-6_1

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The History of Java (Vol. 01)

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The Complete History of Java Programming Language

Java is an Object-Oriented programming language developed by James Gosling in the early 1990s. The team initiated this project to develop a language for digital devices such as set-top boxes, television, etc. Originally C++ was considered to be used in the project but the idea was rejected for several reasons(For instance C++ required more memory). Gosling endeavoured to alter and expand C++ however before long surrendered that for making another stage called Green . James Gosling and his team called their project “ Greentalk ” and its file extension was .gt and later became to known as “ OAK ”.

The name Oak was used by Gosling after an oak tree that remained outside his office. Also, Oak is an image of solidarity and picked as a national tree of numerous nations like the U.S.A., France, Germany, Romania, etc. But they had to later rename it as “ JAVA ” as it was already a trademark by Oak Technologies . “JAVA” Gosling and his team did a brainstorm session and after the session, they came up with several names such as JAVA, DNA, SILK, RUBY, etc. Java name was decided after much discussion since it was so unique.

The name Java originates from a sort of espresso bean , Java. Gosling came up with this name while having a coffee near his office. Java was created on the principles like Robust, Portable, Platform Independent, High Performance, Multithread, etc. and was called one of the Ten Best Products of 1995 by the TIME MAGAZINE . Currently, Java is used in internet programming, mobile devices, games, e-business solutions, etc. If you here, then it might be possible that you are interested in learning Java programming, explore free Java course to get full in-depth knowledge of Java.

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History and Evolution of Java: A Historical Perspective on its Growth

Journey through the intriguing narrative of the History and Evolution of Java. Explore the origins of Java, from its name's history and the goals it set out to achieve to its influences from C++ and the revolutionary concept of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Learn about the initial release, the era of applets and web development, and how Java versions have evolved over time.

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According to Indeed , the median annual salary of a Java Developer in the UK is £68,869. If you are interested in working with Java, then understanding its origin and history is crucial. In this blog, you will learn about the History and Evolution of Java and its versions, along with its influence on modern technologies. 

Table of Contents  

1) What is the history of Java? 

     a) History and Evolution of Java’s name 

     b) Goals and objectives 

     c) Influences from C++ 

     d) The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) 

     e) The initial release 

     f) Applets and web development 

2) Evolution of Java versions 

3) Java's influence on modern technologies 

4) Conclusion  

What is the history of Java?  

Java, one of the most widely used and influential programming languages, had its beginnings in the early 1990s. The story starts at Sun Microsystems, where a talented team of engineers, led by James Gosling, set out to develop a new language that could address the challenges posed by embedded systems. Let’s take a look at some more interesting History and Evolution of Java. 

History and Evolution of Java’s name   

Goals and objectives   

Java's primary goal was to create a language that could be used to program consumer electronics, such as VCRs and televisions, which were becoming more sophisticated and required smarter software. The team wanted a language that would be easy to use, portable, and capable of running on different types of hardware.  

Influences from C++   

One of the early design decisions that shaped Java was its similarity to the C++ programming language. It borrowed many of its syntax and features from C++, making it familiar to developers already familiar with that language. However, it was intended to be simpler and more user-friendly, with a strong emphasis on platform independence.  

The Java Virtual Machine (JVM)   

Platform independence was a crucial aspect of Java API design. The team wanted to create a language that could run on any device or system without modification. This led to the development of the JVM, which allowed its programs to be executed on any platform that had a JVM implementation.  

The initial release   

The team's efforts finally paid off, and in 1995, Java 1.0 was officially released to the world. From the outset, it showcased its "Write Once, Run Anywhere" (WORA) capability, a revolutionary concept that lets you write code once and run it on any platform that supports it. 

Applets and web development

The introduction of Java Applets further solidified Java's position as a groundbreaking technology. They were small applications that could be embedded in web pages, providing interactive and dynamic content. This innovation opened up new possibilities for web development and enhanced the user experience on the internet. 

Elevate your web development skills with our Web Development Using Java Training. Sign up now!  

Evolution of Java versions  

Java, since its inception, has undergone significant evolution through a series of version releases, each bringing new features and improvements to the language. Let's take a brief look at the History and Evolution of Java versions:  

Java 1.0 (January 1996):   

Java 1.0 marked the initial release of the language, providing the foundation for its widespread adoption. It introduced core features like the Applet API and Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT).  

Java 1.1 (February 1997):   

Java 1.1 brought several enhancements, including inner classes, JDBC (Java Database Connectivity), and improved AWT event handling.  

Java 1.2 (Standard Edition 1.2 - December 1998):   

With this version, Java received a significant boost in performance and functionality. It introduced the Collections framework, Swing GUI toolkit, and the "strictfp" keyword for platform-independent floating-point calculations.  

Java 1.3 (Standard Edition 1.3 - May 2000):   

Java 1.3 focused on improving performance and stability. It introduced the HotSpot JVM, which enhanced the execution speed of Java programs.  

Java 1.4 (Standard Edition 1.4 - February 2002):   

Java 1.4 featured significant advancements, including the introduction of the assert keyword for easier debugging, the NIO (New I/O) package for better I/O operations, and regular expression support.  

Java 5 (Standard Edition 5.0 - September 2004):   

Java 5 was a major release with several groundbreaking features, including Generics, Autoboxing, Enhanced for loop, and the introduction of annotations.  

Java 6 (Standard Edition 6 - December 2006):   

Java 6 focused on performance improvements and optimisations. It introduced the "javax.script" API for scripting languages and various enhancements to the core libraries.  

Java 7 (Standard Edition 7 - July 2011):   

Java 7 brought notable features like the "try-with-resources" statement for automatic resource management, the "switch" statement with strings, and support for dynamic languages through invokedynamic.  

Java 8 (Standard Edition 8 - March 2014):   

Java 8 was a landmark release with the introduction of lambda expressions, the Stream API, and the new Date and Time API.  

Java 9 (Standard Edition 9 - September 2017):   

Java 9 featured the modular system (Project Jigsaw) to improve scalability and maintainability. It also introduced the Java Shell (JShell) for interactive code execution.  

Java 10 (Standard Edition 10 - March 2018):   

Java 10 focused on smaller enhancements, including the introduction of Local-Variable Type Inference (var) and the "var" keyword.  

Java 11 (Standard Edition 11 - September 2018):   

Java 11 was a long-term support (LTS) release featuring the removal of several deprecated APIs and the introduction of the HTTP Client API.  

Java 12, Java 13, Java 14, Java 15, Java 16, Java 17 (March 2019 - September 2021): These subsequent releases brought various incremental improvements, language enhancements, and new features to the Java ecosystem.  

As Java continues to evolve, each version builds upon the successes and lessons of its predecessors, ensuring that the language remains relevant and powerful in the ever-changing landscape of software development.  

Java's influence on modern technologies   

Java's impact on modern technologies is undeniable, as it has influenced various domains and shaped the software landscape. Some key areas where Java has left a lasting mark include:  

1) Android development : Java is a foundational language for Android app development, powering millions of mobile applications on the world's most popular operating system. 

2) Enterprise solutions : Java's robustness and platform independence make it a top choice for building scalable and reliable enterprise-level applications.  

3) Big data processing : Java's performance and concurrency support contribute to its use in handling massive datasets in Big Data processing frameworks.  

4) Cloud computing : Java's adaptability to cloud environments makes it a preferred language for building cloud-based applications and services.  

5) Internet of Things (IoT) : Java's platform independence and versatility enable it to play a crucial role in developing smart and interconnected IoT devices.  

Java's versatility, portability, and performance have positioned it as a foundational technology, influencing a wide range of modern applications and technologies. From mobile development to Big data processing and cloud computing, it remains a driving force in the ever-evolving world of software development. 

Master the art of software creation and stand out in the tech world with our Java Programming Training. Sign up today!  

Conclusion  

We hope you read and understand the History and Evolution of Java. Its remarkable journey from its inception to the latest versions showcases its continuous evolution and adaptability. With groundbreaking features, improved performance, and a vibrant ecosystem, Java remains a prominent force in the world of programming. 

Level up your coding game with our Java Training Courses. Sign up now!  

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Resources on History of Programming Languages, Specifically Java

I have a student working on his high school senior thesis. He is interested in the history of programming languages, specifically Java, and he's looking for resources detailing that history. He's looking to answer these kinds of questions:

• Why was Java created? What problems was it meant to address?
• Did it successfully address those problems? How so/why not?
• Whether or not it addressed the problems it was designed to solve, why did Java become so popular?
• What problems, if any, did Java create? What are its shortcomings and/or deficiencies?
• Where and in what contexts is Java still relevant?
• Where has it lost its relevancy? Why, and to what?

By the (admittedly arcane) school rules of writing one's senior thesis, he is allowed at most two web-based resources, and he must have at least five resources total (so at least three must be printed-on-paper resources, whether they be books or journal articles). Any recommendations?

Please do not hesitate to recommend online resources, especially since well-written sources can often help point the way towards the next avenue of exploration. But we're having the most trouble trying to find printed resources, so any help along these lines would be most appreciated.

To be clear, I'm not asking here for answers to these questions (sadly, my school does not consider SO to be a valid resource), and I'm decidedly not asking "Why is Java awesome/terrible?". I'm looking for resources I can point my student to so that he can do some research that the school will recognize as valid.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

• 1 This might be more appropriate as a community wiki "question", given the subjectivity of answers and that selecting a single answer wouldn't really make sense. Finally, to be mildly pedantic: shouldn't the student be posting this question? With some guidance from you, sure, but anyone looking to "do" technology should get an early start participating in the various communities. Mild criticisms aside, looks like a great project, best of luck! –  Carl Commented Jan 31, 2011 at 20:05

5 Answers 5

I don't know if you've already tried this but wikipedias piece of the history of java would be a good starting point.

The HOPL conference produced proceedings with papers from a bunch of really top guys, but unfortunatly none of the three editions contain any history on Java. However, the articles may still be of great use, as they provide a lot of insight into competing languages, which may help your student understand why Java is where it's at today.

The first chapter of Programming Languages - Principles and Paradigms consists of a very nice time line describing the evolution of the different languages and paradigms. This book is very easy to read and comprehend, so it might be a very good starting point.

Although I've not read The History of Programming Languages myself, I know the authors of it, Bergin and Gibson, are both really good, so that might also be something of interest to your student.

For a nice overview, even if probably won't work in a reference list, I would recommend checking this little article out.

Finally, I want to recommend this article , mainly because it's both light and brief, but still to the point and comprehensive. It's probably also a good place to mine for references, which is always a good thing to learn how to do.

Good luck to you and your student!

Rod Johnson in his Java: Expert One-on-One J2EE Design And Development , despite hasn't archeological intentions, addressed some relevant issues on the language itself. He contrast it with .NET and stored procedures paradigms. But, I repeat, is a Java Developer book...

In addition, here is a java timeline

And the java's father, James Gosling, blog

Here's one place to start:

http://ei.cs.vt.edu/book/chap1/java_hist.html

One point to consider - some people make the distinction between Java as-a-platform (i.e., the JVM) and Java as-a-language. Your student might find some divergent perspectives answering the questions from those different angles.

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