What is Java and the Java VM?

Java is a whole bunch of software engineering ideas - one of those ideas is write once run anywhere. This video explains the problem of supporting many operating systems and how the Java VM improves portability.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• java
• programming
• computing
• software
• virtual
• machine
• platform
• independence
• write
• once
• run
• anywhere
• operating
• systems

[treahblade]

This actually does not solve all the problems with diffrent platforms you still have to put in extra code to make things work so to say. The term your looking for is Portablitity which is why the C programming language was created. You can write code for C and copile it and run in on just about anything but it did not solve the problem with GUI API interfacing. The bigest problem with java is that its propritary and your chained to the VM so deep programming is not possible, driver is example.

[AgileJStructureViews]

@treahblade Good point. Portability is certainly an accurate description. And you're right it cannot do everything, such as hardware-hugging code like drivers. I'm not sure what you mean by Java being proprietary - it's open source now. You're not chained to the VM - you can implement native classes. Everything else - yes - has to go through the VM, but that's the idea.

[johnmalcstan]

@paulwwells Thanks for replying. I'll think about it.

[paulwwells]

@johnmalcstan This is more of a Java programmer's video than a Java user's video. Yes, it is a pain the way every time you switch on your PC it says there is a new version of Java. Oracle, now the owners of Java, want everyone to be aware of Java's existence. You almost certainly do need to keep Java up-to-date - beyond that you probably don't need to know a lot about it if you're not a programmer. Java is important because it allows the same software to be run on different hardware.

[johnmalcstan]

The reason I watched this video is because java keeps telling me the3re is an update available. I am no wizz on PC's and thought I had better check it out. I still dont know what the heck it is. Can someone tell me whether I need it or not?

[arxipeltes]

That's why java gives you access to the native interface.

If you want to support legacy code you can do it.

[treahblade]

The licence for java recently expired the one from Sun and Oracle changed it. It can no longer be packaged into Linux distrobutions because of this. There is however a sponsered open source version called openjdk but it does not include some of the closed stuff. I am a bit skechy on details as I only learned of this recently. Sorry.

[Arjun007ize]

Nice one,Subscribed, Hey Could you please give us a link to learn making websites in NetBeans.Please reply.Thanks.

[niwanasod]

thank you

[girishbdt]

Very great, thank you