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Introduced in 1995, Java is a relatively young programming language. While high-level, fully-interpreted scripting languages such as Tcl, Perl or Shell scripts are portable and slow, compiled languages like C/C++ perform well but are more difficult to program. Java takes the best from both side: the performance of Java's interpreted byte-codes is better than the high-level scripting languages, but offers the simplicity and portability of a high level language.
Applet examples
To complile for example burger.java, just type "javac burger.java" in a console. The HTML file points to the burger.class byte code.
Burger burger.java (src)
Click click.java (src)
Scribble scribble.java (src)
Animation animation.java (src)
Chirikov chirikov.java (src)
Frog frog.java (src)
Life life.java (src)
Rubik rubik.java (src)
Textanim textanim.java (src)
Spherical spherical.java (src)
XFunctions (src)


Standalone Java Program example
To complile hello.java, just type
javac hello.java
in a console. To run the program, type
java hello
hello.java
Java is advertised as a "simple, object-oriented, interpreted, robust, secure, architecture neutral, portable, dynamic, high-performance, multithreaded, and dynamic language":
  • simple: while designed to look like C/C++, it removes complexities of C. Because a programmer should learn Java quickly, the number of language constructs is small and kept familiar to a majority of programmers to ease the migration.
  • object-oriented: means focus on data rather than procedures. In Java, hierarchically organized classes form a collection of data and methods. Except of numeric, character, and boolean types, other types like for example strings or threads are objects. A class is the basic unit of compilation and of execution in Java; all Java programs are classes.
  • interpreted: the Java compiler generates code for a Java Virtual Machine rather than native machine code. To run a Java program, the Java interpreter executes the compiled byte-code which is platform-independent.
  • architecture neutral: The neutral byte-code format can run on any system as long as that system implements the Java Virtual Machine. This is ueful in heterogenous networks. It is also easier to develop applications which run simultaneously on PCs, Mac, and UNIX workstations.
  • portable: While the architecture neutral, byte-code format makes it already portable, Java knows no "implementation-dependent" aspects in the specification. For example, Java explicitly specifies the size of each of the primitive data type and their behavior.
  • dynamic: Any Java class can be loaded into a running Java interpreter at any time. Native code libraries can also be dynamically loaded. One can dynamically obtain information about a class at run-time.
  • distributed: A Java interpreter to download and run code from across the Internet. Java implements strong security measures, to make sure that the code can be run safely. This is what happens when a Web browser downloads and runs a Java applet, for example.
  • robust: Java is a strongly typed language, which allows for extensive compile-time checking. This is relevant for example in the area of function declarations. Because the compiler catch more errors, this leads to more reliable programs.
  • secure: Java was designed with security in mind, and provides several layers of security controls that protect against malicious code, and allow users to comfortably run untrusted programs such as applets.
  • performance: As an interpreted language, Java can not be as fast as a compiled language like C. Java 1.1 is 10 times slower than C. Many Java interpreters however include "just in time" compilers that translate Java byte-codes into machine code for a particular CPU at run-time.
  • multithreaded: Multithreaded means support for multiple threads of execution which can handle different tasks. Multithreading can for example improves the interactive performance of graphical applications.

Links and Books

Links Books
  • Dori Smith, Java for the WWW, Visual Quickstart guide
  • David Flanagan, Java in a Nutshell, O'Rheilly
  • David Flanagan, Java Foundation Classes, O'Rheilly


Simplicity, Clarity, Generality B.W. Kernighan, R. Pike, in "The Practice of Programming".
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