Exploring the Evolution of JAVA and its Various Released Versions

Java, a programming language, received its due recognition and got very popular in the world of web application and software right from the time of its launch in the market. Even before the wave of change that hit the new millennium, the world looked up to Java for easy and smart solutions. The brainchild of James Gosling, Java was released by the Sun Microsystems in 1995. The programming language, featuring a kind of similar syntax to C sharp and C++, constitutes an object model that is less complicated and has reduced level facilities.

Initially referred to as Oak, the name was later changed to Java. Over the years, the language has released multiple versions making programming easier for the people in software. From the first steady version of JDK 1.0 to the latest version of Java 7, which is also referred to as Dolphin, it has evolved from being just a mere enterprise language. The dynamic language features a steady security system and secured configuration, thereby enabling a file access restriction.

Java application development : Exploring the Language

Java has only one set of syntax underlining the rules of writing the code. This particular set of guidelines have certainly evolved since the introduction of the language, but still gets along with the modern-day Java. However, remember that the standard set of Java libraries have also undergone some changes wherein, some parts have been completely removed in the upcoming versions.

While there is the existence of only one language, the implementations of the same are many. This precisely highlights the presence of different Java Virtual Machines (JVM’s) and different compilers. Such a range of varying implementation though conforms mostly to the Java standards often leads to having some kind of additional features and performance advantage as against others.

A Look into the Varied Java Editions – SE, EE, and ME

Java involves three ‘editions’, which strictly conforms to specifications and not the real implementations of the Java libraries and JVM. Here is a detailed look at the varying editions:

1. SE (Standard Edition), which is mostly used by the PC users, is the base of the libraries and JVM.

2. EE (Enterprise Edition) offers a similar kind of JVM as the SE, but offers an increased number of libraries enabling server-oriented programming.

3. ME (Micro Edition) is Java adapted for devices featuring constraint of resources i.e. low power, low memory. Examples of such devices include PDAs and mobile phones. Owing to their low memory and storage capacities, the devices usually cannot afford having all the libraries found in EE and SE.

A look at the Java Versions

Here is a glance at the released versions of Java right from its inception:

• Java 1.0 - The original release promised the feature of ‘Write Once, Run Anywhere’ (WORA). It offered run-time at no cost on popular platform and featured configurable security. The release enabled file-access and network restriction.
• Java 1.1 – The next release followed soon in 1997.
• Java 2 or J2SE 1.2 – Released in 1998, this new version featured multiple configuration designed for a range of platforms. This version introduced the development of SE (named as the standard edition for general PC users), EE (for enterprise applications), and ME (for mobile applications).
• J2SE 1.3 – The release that followed suit came in the year 2000 and was codenamed as Kestrel.
• J2SE 1.4 – Codenamed as Merlin, the next release from Java featured in the market in 2002.
• J2SE 5.0 – This particular version that was released in 2004 was codenamed Tiger and was referred to as J2ME 5.0, J2EE 5.0, and J2SE5.0.
• Java SE 6 – Released in 2006, the version was codenamed as Mustang and came loaded with multiple features like I/0 changes, collections framework enhancement, changes in zip and jar, JMX API enhancements, etc.
• Java SE 7 – The latest version codenamed Dolphin released in 2008 and has already witnessed around 25 updates enhancing its performance largely. The notable features of this version include support of JVM for dynamic languages, compressed pointers of 64-bit, small changes in language, new I/O library improving independence of the platform, improved support for library for network protocols and algorithms, etc.

Each single release of the Java programming language witnessed performance improvements and bug fixes for the JVM and development tools alongside the library refinement addition. Apart from these changes, Java 5 was the sole release to have added new features and characteristics to the language, which included annotations, enumerations, autoboxing, varargs, and generics.

The programming language makes use of the Java virtual machines, which practically offers it high portability that enables running of a program coded in Java in any computer featuring any kind of hardware configuration. Java monitors and organizes the memory using the automated garbage collector. Java has had a very successful run and has offered high rated performance from the time of its inception in the world of software.

Java can be practically termed as one of the most standard releases from Sun that reaches beyond being a specific software download line. It is truly one of the most popular implementation in the field of software and web applications. Today, Java is being widely used not just in computing devices, but also in e-commerce applications, mobile phones, and MP3 players.

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