Main features of Java programming language
Java is a product of sun Microsystems and is one of the most sought after platform for programming software and web applications on the internet. Java was conceived by James gosling, Patrick Naughton, Chris Warth, Ed frank, and mike Sheridan at sun Microsystems in the year 1991. The language was initially referred to as ‘oak’. The most important and amazing feature of java is that it is platform independent, i.e.: it can run on any operating system, whether windows, UNIX or Linux. This makes java a global language used by programmers throughout the world. Java is no doubt based on object oriented programming approach. Some of the most common features of java are:
· Encapsulation: java uses classes approach only. It means all the functions and data members are encapsulated into a single unit called class.
· Abstraction: the abstraction property of java makes it a secure tool to use. It refers to hiding all the unimportant details from the user of the final application. This is same as an electric switch. You (the final user) know how to operate the switch without bothering about the back end wiring that has been laid down.
· Inheritance: this property of object oriented programming allows reusability of code. A class can always inherit from another class to get its feature for example, a class named car can inherit from a class named automobile.
· Java victual machine: this is the name given to java compiler. The salient feature of this compiler is that it converts the machine language to byte code. This byte code ca be understood by any platform and hence makes java a platform independent language.
Java has a large set of predefined packages and interfaces that can be used to build web applications wit ease. Java can be used to create two basic type of application. These are the java application and the java applets. An application is a program that runs on your computer under the operating system. An applet on the other hand is different from an application. It is basically an application designed to be transmitted over the internet and is finally executed by a java enabled browser. It can be considered as a dynamic java program. The more advanced version of java known as J2EE is nowadays being used to create web applications. Java is a secure tool because it has a firewall feature in built between the network applications and the computer you are using.
by Camila 19 years ago