Introduction to Java

Java is a programming language originally developed by Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun's Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities. Java applications are typically compiled to bytecode which can run on any Java virtual machine (JVM) regardless of computer architecture.
The original and reference implementation Java compilers, virtual machines, and class libraries were developed by Sun from 1995. As of May 2007, in compliance with the specifications of the Java Community Process, Sun made available most of their Java technologies as free software under the GNU General Public License.Java's design, industry backing and portability have made Java one of the fastest-growing and most widely used programming languages in the modern computing industry.

The Java language was created by James Gosling in June 1991 for use in a set top box project. The language was initially called Oak, after an oak tree that stood outside Gosling's office - and also went by the name Green - and ended up later being renamed to Java, from a list of random words. Gosling's goals were to implement a virtual machine and a language that had a familiar C/C++ style of notation.The first public implementation was Java 1.0 in 1995

(Duke is the mascot of Java)

Java promises "Write Once, Run Anywhere" (WORA), providing no-cost runtimes on popular platforms.