Primary
Java ○˒｜Definition｜1st｜20251119205401-00-⌔
Java (programming language) - Wikipedia
Java (programming language)
Java is a high-level, general-purpose, memory-safe, object-oriented programming language. It is intended to let programmers write once, run anywhere (WORA),1 meaning that compiled Java code can run on all platforms that support Java without the need to recompile.2 Java applications are usually compiled to bytecode that can run on any Java virtual machine (JVM) regardless of the underlying computer architecture.3 The syntax of Java is similar to C and C++, but has fewer low-level facilities than either of them. The Java runtime provides dynamic abilities (such as reflective programming (reflection) and runtime code modification) usually unavailable in traditional compiled languages.
Java gained popularity shortly after its release, and has been a popular programming language since then.4 Java was the third most popular programming language in 2022 according to GitHub.5 Although still widely popular, there has been a gradual decline in use of Java in recent years with other languages using JVM gaining popularity.6
Java was designed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems. It was released in May 1995 as a core component of Sun’s Java platform. The original and reference implementation Java compilers, virtual machines (VMs), and class libraries were released by Sun under proprietary licenses. As of May 2007, in compliance with the specifications of the Java Community Process, Sun had relicensed most of its Java technologies under the GPL-2.0-only license. Oracle, which bought Sun in 2010, offers its own HotSpot Java virtual machine. However, the official reference implementation is the OpenJDK JVM, which is open-source software used by most developers and is the default JVM for almost all Linux distributions.
As of March 2026, Java 26 is the current version.
Printed 2026-06-28.
(echo:: @ ᯤ)
Link to original Footnotes
“Write once, run anywhere?”. Computer Weekly. May 2, 2002. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2009. ↩
“1.2 Design Goals of the Java Programming Language”. Oracle. January 1, 1999. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013. ↩
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1908.11685 Java programming language ↩
Melanson, Mike (August 9, 2022). “Don’t call it a comeback: Why Java is still champ”. GitHub. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023. ↩
“The top programming languages”. The State of the Octoverse. GitHub. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023. ↩
McMillan, Robert (August 1, 2013). “Is Java Losing Its Mojo?”. Wired. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2023. ↩
Secondary
• • •