 |
Who created Java?
|
The Java programming language was developed by
James Gosling at Sun Microsystems, Inc. It was originally intended
to support some embedded systems projects, but they quickly
realized that it could be much more than that. |
Where did the name Java come from? Is it an
acronym?
|
Those of us who were paying attention back when
Java was first released to the public know the answer to this
question, though now the folks at Sun love to shroud the issue
in mystery. As the language was being developed, it was called
Oak. When the time came to release it to the public, a registered
name search revealed that the name Oak was already claimed.
One day, as some of the key players were sitting around in a
coffee shop debating the new name, someone suggested Java, and
it stuck. Boring, but true. The word Java is not an acronym
(the letters do not stand for anything). If it were, it would
be written in all uppercase letters. |
What is the most current release
of Java?
|
The Java 2 Platform is still the name of the general
Java release, and it is now in version 1.4. |
Were there a lot of changes made between
version 1.3 and version 1.4?
|
There were very few changes to the language itself.
Many packages and classes were added to the standard API set.
Not many of these, though, affect an introductory course in
Java programming. |
What Java development environments are
supported by the book?
|
The book is designed to work with any standard
Java development environment. It makes no assumptions that the
user is working with any particular one. |
Does Java have a mascot?
|
| Absolutely. That's him on the
right. His name is Duke. He was created by the folks at
Sun Microsystems. The web server that serves this site
is named after him. |
 |
|
|
|
|
