Java (software platform)
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Not to be confused with JavaScript.
Java (software platform)

Original author(s)James Gosling, Sun MicrosystemsDeveloper(s)Oracle CorporationStable releaseJava 7
7 Update 72 (1.7.0_72)(October 14, 2014; 6 days ago)[±][1][2][3]Java 8
8 Update 25 (1.8.0_25)(October 14, 2014; 6 days ago)[±][1][2][3]Preview releaseJava 9
9 Build b31 (September 17, 2014; 33 days ago) [±][4]Written in Java, C++[citation needed]
Operating systemWindows, Solaris, Linux,OS X[5]TypeSoftware platformLicenseFreeware, mostly open-source,[6] with a fewproprietary[7]components[8]Website www.java.comJava is a set of several computer software and specifications developed by Sun Microsystems, later acquired by Oracle Corporation, that provides a system for developing application software and deploying it in a cross-platform computing environment. Java is used in a wide variety of computing platforms from embedded devices and mobile phones on the low end, to enterprise servers andsupercomputers on the high end. While less common, Java applets are sometimes used to provide improved and secure functions while browsing the World Wide Web on desktop computers.
Writing in the Java programming language is the primary way to produce code that will be deployed as Java byte code; byte codecompilers are also available for other languages, including Ada, JavaScript, Python, and Ruby. Several languages have been designed to run natively on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), including Scala, Clojure and Groovy. Java syntax borrows heavily from Cand C++, but object-oriented features are modeled after Smalltalk and Objective-C.[9] Java eliminates certain low-level constructs such as pointers and has a very simple memory model where every object is allocated on the heap and all variables of object types are references. Memory management is handled through integrated automatic garbage collection performed by the JVM.
On November 13, 2006, owner Sun Microsystems made the bulk of its implementation of Java available under the GNU General Public License (GPL).[10][11]Contents [hide]
1 Platform1.1 Java Virtual Machine1.2 Class libraries1.3 Languages1.4 Similar platforms1.5 Java Development Kit2 History2.1 Java meets the Web2.2 Version history3 Usage3.1 Desktop use3.2 Mobile devices3.3 Web server and enterprise use4 Mascot5 Licensing5.1 Free software6 Criticism6.1 Generics6.2 Unsigned integer types6.3 Floating point arithmetic6.4 Performance6.5 Security6.6 Adware6.7 Redundancy7 See also8 References9 External linksPlatform[edit]
The Java platform is the name for a bundle of related programs that allow for developing and running programs written in the Java programming language. The platform is not specific to any one processor or operating system, but rather an execution engine (called a virtual machine) and a compiler with a set of libraries that are implemented for various hardware and operating systems so that Java programs can run identically on all of them.
Java Card: A technology that allows small Java-based applications (applets) to be run securely on smart cards and similar small-memory devices.
Java ME (Micro Edition): Specifies several different sets of libraries (known as profiles) for devices with limited storage, display, and power capacities. Often used to develop applications for mobile devices, PDAs, TV set-top boxes, and printers.
Java SE (Standard Edition): For general-purpose use on desktop PCs, servers and similar devices.
Java EE (Enterprise Edition): Java SE plus various APIs useful for multi-tier client–server enterprise applications.
The Java platform consists of several programs, each of which provides a portion of its overall capabilities. For example, the Java compiler, which converts Java source code into Java bytecode (an intermediate language for the JVM), is provided as part of the Java Development Kit (JDK). The Java Runtime Environment (JRE), complementing the JVM with