What is Java and why is it important?

Java, not unlike many of the technologies which influence our everyday lives to this very day, originated in California, under the purview of Sun Microsystems, a company founded in 1982 by Andreas Bechtolsheim, Vinod Khosla, and Scott McNeally. With that said, tech-savvy types tend to look more to the future than the past, so if you find yourself more curious about the modern world of coding, or find yourself questioning just how influential Java has been to the world of technology, you don’t particularly want a history lesson. You’re most likely looking for the modern applicability and influence of a technology that has continued to evolve consistently in order to keep up with the times.

Java is a programming language, designed to be concurrent, class-based and object-oriented, as well as a computing platform first released by Sun Microsystems in 1995. An enormous amount of applications and websites will not work unless you have Java installed, and more are created every day. Denying yourself Java is akin to denying yourself access to a technological infrastructure. Java is advertised, and esteemed for its fast performance, security, and reliability.

From laptops to datacenters, game consoles to scientific supercomputers, cell phones to the Internet, Java is ubiquitous.

‘Java is a programming language expressly designed for use in the distributed environment of the Internet. It was designed to have the “look and feel” of the C++ programming language, but it is simpler to use than C++ and enforces an object-oriented programming model.’

‘Java can be used to create complete applications that may run on a single computer or be distributed among servers and clients in a network. It can also be used to build a small application module or applet (a simply designed, small application) for use as part of a Web page. Applets make it possible for a Web page user to interact with the page.’

Tech Target- The essentials of Java.

Why is Java such a popular choice among modern-day software developers?

The answer lies primarily with the exhaustive testing, updating and consistency of delivery that Java has historically provided. Java has been tested, refined, extended, and proven by a dedicated community of Java developers, architects and enthusiasts. Despite origins dating back almost two decades, Java has consistently evolved over the years.

Java is designed to enable development of portable, high-performance applications for the widest range of computing platforms possible, hence enabling the fundamental tenets of overarching accessibility as well as cross-platform interaction. By making applications available across heterogeneous environments, businesses can provide more services and boost end-user productivity, communication, and collaboration—and dramatically reduce the cost of ownership of both enterprise and consumer applications.

Java has become invaluable to developers by enabling them to:

Write software on one platform and run it on virtually any other platform.

Create programs that can run within a web browser and access available web services.

Develop server-side applications for online forums, stores, polls, HTML forms processing, and more.

Combine applications or services using the Java language to create highly customized applications or services.

Write powerful and efficient applications for mobile phones, remote processors, microcontrollers, wireless modules, sensors, gateways, consumer products, and practically any other electronic device.

The underlying principle that has enabled Java’s success is the ability of the developers and coders consistently upgrading the model to be competitive to modern technological standards.

The Stats

97% of Enterprise Desktops run Java.

89% of Desktops (or Computers) in the U.S. run Java.

9 Million Java Developers worldwide.

Java is the number 1 choice for developers.

Java continues to be the most used development platform.

3 billion mobile phones run Java.

100% of Blu-ray Disc Players ship with Java.

There are currently over 5 billion Java Cards in use.

125 million TV devices run Java.

5 of the Top 5 Original Equipment Manufacturers Ship Java ME.

-Learning about Java Technology.

Ideally if you are an individual seeking to pursue a career as a Java developer, and even though this might appear far down the line of learning Java, but a valuable measure by which a potential Java developer might be judged, is their familiarity with:

both JDBC and DAO patterns

The Java MVC pattern

Dependency injection

Threading and concurrency

The Java memory model

While the world of technology is constantly advancing, at what seems like a faster than ever pace, people, even coders, have an unfortunate tendency to forget about the origins. The underlying principles. The ideas which influenced an abundance of modern-day technology. This is why Java is important- because not only does it continue to be a vital and invaluable programming language today, but it shaped the manner in which technology would unfold in the coming two decades, and continue to unfold for the unforeseeable future.