The Rise and Fall of Java

Summary

Java, a programming language initially designed for a better TV remote, has become one of the most popular languages, powering everything from mobile apps to Mars rovers. Despite its decline on the web, Java's 'write once, run anywhere' philosophy ensures its continued relevance in Android apps and enterprise servers.

Takeaways

• 😀 Java is a widely used programming language that has been popular for over 20 years.
• 🔧 Initially, Java was developed to create a better TV remote control, showing its humble beginnings.
• 💡 The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) allows Java to run on various processors by translating Java byte code, overcoming the limitations of compiled languages.
• 🚀 Java's 'Write Once, Run Anywhere' philosophy was a breakthrough, enabling cross-platform compatibility.
• 📱 The language was pivotal in the early days of the internet, powering interactive content through applets in web browsers.
• 🌐 Java's rise to fame was accelerated when Netscape Navigator decided to incorporate Java technology.
• 📉 Despite its initial web success, Java's presence on the web has diminished due to security issues and the rise of JavaScript.
• 📈 Java remains dominant in areas outside the web, including Android app development and enterprise solutions.
• 🔄 The story of Java exemplifies resilience and adaptability, as it transitioned from a TV remote project to a cornerstone of modern computing.
• 🌟 Java's impact is far-reaching, from powering Mars rovers to being a staple in educational and professional programming environments.

Q & A

What was the initial purpose of Java?

Java was initially developed to build a better TV remote control for a project at Sun Microsystems, which aimed to integrate computers into consumer devices.

What is the JVM and how does it solve the problem of running code on different processors?

The JVM, or Java Virtual Machine, acts like a processor designed to run Java bytecode. It allows the same programs to run on different types of processors by translating Java bytecode into machine code that the specific processor can understand.

Why was Java called 'Oak' during its early development?

Java was initially called 'Oak' by James Gosling, named after a tree outside his office window. The name was changed to 'Java' later on because 'Oak' was already taken by another company.

What was the 'Star7' project and how does it relate to Java?

The 'Star7' was a 5-inch tablet created by Sun Microsystems' Green Team. It was designed to act as a remote control with a graphical touchscreen interface and was the first device to use the language that would later become Java.

Why did Time Warner Cable choose SGI over Sun Microsystems for their interactive television system?

Time Warner Cable opted for SGI's proposal over Sun Microsystems' because the concept of a network for cable television that Sun Microsystems proposed was considered too early for the market at that time.

How did the name 'Java' come to be chosen for the programming language?

The name 'Java' was proposed by engineer Chris Warth who noticed it on his cup of Pete's Java during a brainstorming session. The team was looking for a name that was inviting, didn't reference the web or net, and was easy to say and spell.

What was the significance of Java being incorporated into Netscape Navigator?

The incorporation of Java into Netscape Navigator, the world's most popular browser at the time, provided Java with a significant boost in visibility and adoption, as it became a standard for web-based interactive content.

Why did Java on the web decline and eventually become obsolete?

Java on the web declined due to numerous security flaws and the slow response in patching them. Additionally, JavaScript, which was easier to develop with and gained more functionality over time, eventually replaced Java for web-based applications.

In what areas is Java still widely used today?

Java is still widely used in Android app development, enterprise servers, and various professional applications where its speed and the large pool of developers familiar with the language are advantageous.

What does the phrase 'Write Once, Run Anywhere' mean in the context of Java?

The phrase 'Write Once, Run Anywhere' refers to Java's ability to be written once and run on any device that has a JVM, regardless of the underlying hardware or operating system, due to its platform-independent nature.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Origin and Evolution of Java

The paragraph discusses the history and development of Java, a programming language that has become incredibly popular since its inception over 20 years ago. It started as a project named Oak, initiated by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems, aiming to create a more advanced TV remote control. The language was designed to be platform-independent, running on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which allowed it to be used across various hardware. Despite its initial purpose being different, Java's adaptability made it suitable for a wide range of applications, from mobile apps to enterprise servers.

05:02

🌟 Java's Rise to Fame and Web Dominance

This paragraph details Java's journey from an obscure project to a widely recognized programming language. The team at Sun Microsystems repurposed the language for the internet, creating a browser named HotJava that could run Java applets. Java's ability to run on any device with a compatible browser made it an instant hit, especially after Netscape Navigator decided to support it. The paragraph also highlights the challenges Java faced on the web, including security issues and competition from JavaScript, which eventually led to its decline in web development.

10:03

📱 Java's Resilience and Continued Relevance

The final paragraph emphasizes Java's resilience and its ability to adapt to new technologies. Despite the decline in its use on the web, Java remains a dominant force in the world of programming, particularly in Android app development and enterprise solutions. The language's 'write once, run anywhere' philosophy has ensured its longevity and widespread use. The story of Java is portrayed as one of innovation, adaptability, and persistence, showing that even as technology evolves, Java continues to find its place.

Keywords

💡Java

Java is a high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming language that is designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible. It is a general-purpose programming language intended to let application developers 'write once, run anywhere' (WORA), meaning that compiled Java code can run on all platforms that support Java without the need for recompilation. In the video, Java is highlighted as a language that started from a simple project to create a better TV remote and evolved into a widely used programming language for various applications, including Android app development.

💡Machine Code

Machine code is a computer program written in the low-level language of a computer's CPU, which is the native language of the CPU. It is a series of binary digits (bits) that are directly executed by the CPU. In the video, machine code is mentioned as the language that computers understand at their most basic level, and it is the foundation upon which higher-level programming languages like Java are built.

💡Compiler

A compiler is a special program that translates code written in a high-level programming language into machine code that a computer's processor uses. The video explains that compilers were developed to make programming more accessible by allowing developers to write in a language that resembles English rather than having to use the CPU's machine code directly.

💡JVM (Java Virtual Machine)

The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is a virtual machine that enables a computer to run Java programs as well as programs written in other languages that are also compiled to Java bytecode. The JVM is an implementation of the Java Virtual Machine Specification. In the video, the JVM is described as a key innovation that allows Java programs to be platform-independent, meaning they can run on any device that has a JVM, regardless of the underlying hardware or operating system.

💡Bytecode

Java bytecode is the binary format of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It is the intermediate representation of a Java program that has been compiled from Java source code (.java files). Bytecode is platform-independent and can be run on any device that has a JVM. The video mentions Java bytecode as the intermediate form of Java programs that the JVM can execute, which is a key part of Java's 'write once, run anywhere' capability.

💡Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems was an American company that developed computers, computer components, and a computer network server appliance software. It was founded in 1982 and was responsible for the development of Java. In the video, Sun Microsystems is highlighted as the company where the Java language was initially conceived, starting with a project to create a better TV remote control.

💡Green Team

The Green Team was a group within Sun Microsystems that focused on integrating computers into consumer devices. They were responsible for the development of the Star7, a precursor to modern tablets. The video describes how the Green Team's work on the Star7 and its associated Oak language (which later became Java) laid the groundwork for Java's development.

💡Applets

Java applets are small applications that can be embedded in a webpage and executed by a Java-enabled web browser. They were a significant feature of Java in the early days of the web. The video discusses how applets allowed for interactive content on the web, which was a major innovation at the time, and how they were eventually overshadowed by JavaScript.

💡JavaScript

JavaScript is a high-level, interpreted programming language that is widely used in the creation of interactive effects within web browsers. Despite its name, JavaScript is not related to Java; it was developed independently by Netscape and was initially called Mocha, then LiveScript, before being renamed to JavaScript. The video explains how JavaScript, which was designed to be easier to use for simple web interactivity, eventually replaced Java for web applications due to various factors, including security concerns with Java applets.

💡Android

Android is a mobile operating system developed by Google. It is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, and it is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices. The video mentions Android as a platform where Java is extensively used, particularly for developing apps, which demonstrates Java's continued relevance and adaptability in the mobile development space.

💡Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA)

Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA) is a slogan for software development indicating that the same code can run on different platforms without needing to be rewritten or recompiled. This is a core feature of Java, as highlighted in the video, which allows developers to create applications that can run on any device with a JVM, regardless of the underlying hardware or operating system.

Highlights

Java is a popular programming language that has been used in various applications from mobile apps to machines on other planets.

Java was originally developed to build a better TV remote control.

Computers process commands in machine code, which is a series of numbers associated with functions.

Early programming was tedious and prone to error due to the need to write in machine code.

Compilers were created to translate high-level languages into machine code, making programming more accessible.

Java introduced the JVM (Java Virtual Machine) to solve the problem of compatibility across different processors.

The JVM allows Java byte code to run on various processors, ensuring 'write once, run anywhere' capability.

Sun Microsystems, in the 1990s, aimed to integrate computers into consumer devices, leading to the creation of the Star7 tablet.

The Star7 tablet was designed to act as a remote control with a graphical touchscreen interface.

James Gosling created the Oak language, which later became Java, for the Star7 tablet.

Java was almost chosen for interactive television systems by Time Warner but was deemed too early.

The team behind Java realized its potential for the internet, leading to the development of the Web Runner browser.

Java's name was changed from Oak to avoid conflicts with an existing company, and 'Java' was chosen for its appeal and ease of use.

HotJava, the Java-based browser, allowed for interactive applets to be embedded in web pages.

Java gained significant attention at TED 6 when it demonstrated interactive content in a browser.

Java's popularity grew rapidly, with downloads increasing from single digits to thousands within months.

Netscape Navigator's decision to incorporate Java technology was a major boost for Java's adoption.

Java has been ported to billions of devices, from small tokens to Mars rovers, showcasing its versatility.

Despite its fall from grace on the web, Java remains one of the most popular programming languages for various applications.

Java's 'write once, run anywhere' philosophy made it ideal for Android app development.

Java's resilience and adaptability have kept it relevant despite the rise of JavaScript and other languages.

Transcripts

Java the language some people love some

people hate and some love to hate over

20 years since its introduction it's

risen to be one of the most popular

programming languages in current use

provided you download the latest updates

but would you believe it if I were to

tell you that this omnipresent language

the one that powers everything from apps

on your phone to machines on other

planets arose from a need to build a

better TV remote

perhaps the best place to start is just

explaining what exactly Java is it goes

a little something like this

computers at their core only process

commands in a program in what's known as

machine code basically a number is

associated with a function and when that

number is put into the CPU the CPU does

that operation

most of these operations are simple like

adding two numbers together or saving

data to memory now of course you could

write programs for the processor using

just machine code in fact in the early

days that's what people would do the

problem was that writing code is a

series of numbers for simple operations

was not only unintuitive requiring an

intimate knowledge of the hardware but

it was also really tedious for writing

anything other than small programs since

every function would need to be built

from the ground up as a result of this

it was highly prone to error

the solution from very early on was to

write a program called a compiler which

could generate the appropriate machine

code from a more english-like language

some compilers just assigned words for

each of the machine code functions so

programmers wouldn't need to remember

their specific numerical codes however

more advanced compilers began to include

more advanced compound functions into

their keywords forming some of the

modern languages used today like C plus

there is a catch with compiled languages

though you can't take code compiled for

One processor and run it on a different

one there is no Universal standard for

how CPU instructions are laid out

meaning that a program compiled for an

Intel processor wouldn't work on a power

PC processor nor would something written

for arm run on a 6502

Java offers a solution for this through

a program called the jvm or Java virtual

machine

the jvm acts like a processor designed

specifically to run Java byte code while

sitting on top of all sorts of different

processors that way even though the

processors on two computers are

different they can both run the same

programs the funny thing is you'd think

Java was developed specifically for this

purpose but in actuality was just an

afterthought from another project going

on at some Microsystems

Sun Microsystems was a company that had

it big in the 80s with their high-end

workstations however going into the 90s

Focus began to shift in the direction of

producing servers for the newly born web

with their success Sun pulled the Xerox

and a 1990 set up a team of 13 people

with the goal of finding what they

believed to be the next wave in

Computing

the green team as it was called focused

primarily on implementing computers into

other consumer devices very quickly

after starting they moved to a separate

office and over the course of 18 months

created a 5-inch tablet called the star

7. the star7 had everything in terms of

Hardware a 16-bit color touch screen

display pcmcia card slots Wireless

networking and more

naturally matching the team's vision of

computer integration and appliances a

system of different wirelessly

communicating devices specifically

television equipment was produced with

the star 7 acting as the heart

the star7 also acted as a remote control

with a graphical touchscreen interface

that even included an agent character

the neat trick that allowed the star7 to

work with so many devices was a new

language written for it by James Gosling

called Oak named after a tree outside

his office window

with a workable demo for their device

the Green Team moved to a larger office

and became first person intent on

becoming the underlying technology for

set-top boxes and video on demand

services in response to Time Warner

Cable's request for proposals for

interactive television systems first

person created the concept of a network

for cable television that would allow

individual users to write and read data

into the system

1992 though the idea was just too early

Time Warner opted for the proposal from

SGI instead

what first person had developed was

incredible but without a market their

new Computing concept was destined to

collect dust and be written up as old

boss the team had a meeting where they

and I quote had to figure out what to do

with this technology or what to do with

our lives

but after a few days of consideration

the team came to a realization actually

a pretty common one for tech companies

during the 90s why not the internet

and you know what it wasn't that bad of

an idea the entire concept of the star 7

system was to build a network centered

around multimedia and as web browsers

continued to evolve the World Wide Web

itself was beginning to become a network

centered around multimedia with

formatted text pictures sound and

eventually even video why not add

interactive content to the list the Real

Genius of this idea though is that Oak

had already solved the largest problem

with this plan

normally since the internet is populated

with computers of all sorts of different

architectures operating systems and

browsers any web-based program would

need to be released in different

versions to support all of them lest it

be inaccessible to certain people with

Oak though the website would only need

to include one version of the program

and as long as you used a browser that

supported Oak you could run the program

and so in 1994 the team got to work on

making their own oak-based browser

called Web Runner well actually they

didn't call it Oak anymore since the

name was already taken by Oak

Technologies so after the lengthy

process of trying to find a name that

sounded inviting didn't reference the

web or net and was easy to say in spell

the team finally settled on Java

actually Legend has it that the name

Java was originally proposed by engineer

Chris worth who read it off his cup of

Pete's Java while trying to recover from

a hacking Marathon session while riding

the web running browser Web Runner soon

renamed to hot Java so as to match the

caffeinated language it was written on

was an entire Mosaic clone with the

added bonus of being able to run little

Java programs embedded in a page called

applets the next year John Gage caught

Gosling by surprise Gage had been

invited to present at the Ted 6 talk in

Monterey to a group of entertainment and

internet professionals and wanted to

demonstrate the not yet finished hot

Java browser Panic ensued over the still

rough program crashing at its first

public demonstration but fortunately

that wasn't the case at first the

audience appeared to have little

interest in watching a clone of an

existing browser but the moment that

something in a browser window moved Gage

had everyone's attention

you have to remember that at the time

the web was nothing but static Pages

static images and to see something even

as simple as Lines Moving and

automatically sorting themselves right

in a browser window was unheard of

the demo worked flawlessly and the

crowd's Applause indicated that Java

hype was sure to grow

after a few private demos Java was ready

to be released to the world and in March

of 1995 the team set up a public

download they watched as the number of

downloads increased from single digits

to a few dozens James garzling had set

the threshold for Success at 10 000

downloads and within a few months sooner

than anyone had expected it download 10

000 had happened thanks in part to being

a front page news story the popularity

of java was growing so large that the

team was constantly scrambling for more

bandwidth to handle the number of

downloads they needed to serve the

moment the Java team knew they had made

it though was that that Year's Sun World

Conference Java had been chosen as an

item to mention in the keynote speech

but what few had known was that Marca

Andresen the creator of the Mosaic

browser and founder of Netscape had

agreed to incorporate Java technology

into Netscape Navigator Andreessen

walking on the stage was a surprise for

nearly everyone in the room but for Java

now with the backing of the world's most

popular browser one with a history of

establishing standards the future looked

bright since that day the jvm has been

ported to billions of devices from tiny

little Rings given out of the Java 1

conference in 1998 to the two Mars

rovers Spirit an opportunity in 2004 the

same language that let the world watch

Gary Kasparov loose to deep blue live in

their web browser Powers Enterprise

servers and mobile phones alike yes it

seems that the right ones Run Anywhere

philosophy of java has grown to mean

literally anywhere

but wait I hear you cry the

it's called the rise and fall of java

is still really used in all those things

and still ranks is one of the most

popular programming languages in the

world is it really Fallen to that I

answer no not in the slightest

well actually no for pretty much all

areas except for the platform that

brought it notoriety to begin with the

internet ironically enough Java on the

web is basically dead with the most

popular browsers no longer supporting it

in favor of a different little language

called JavaScript

JavaScript JavaScript isn't that the

same as Java though despite the fact

that an effort was made to make the

syntax look similar between the two

languages both are fundamentally

different under the hood JavaScript

Harkens all the way back to 1995. the

same year that Mark Andreessen of

Netscape had officially announced the

browser's support of java the original

idea was to create a companion scripting

language named mocha to continue the

whole coffee thing that will work

alongside Java applets JavaScript was

intended to be an easier to learn

scripting language for simple

interactivity in a web browser while

Java was intended to be the professional

language for larger development projects

as it turned out though between the

numerous security flaws in Java with

patching coming too little too late and

the relative ease of development in

JavaScript after a bumpy road with

competing standards and implementations

of the language JavaScript would end up

gaining greater functionality to the

point where it was able to supplant Java

entirely

Java may not exist on the web anymore

but if it's still the top ranked

language in the world then it must be

somewhere right look no further than the

nearest Android device

unlike iPhones which are produced solely

by Apple devices from all sorts of

different companies running on all sorts

of different Hardware on Android making

Java with its right ones Run Anywhere

philosophy a perfect candidate for

writing apps Java can also be found in

plenty of professional and Enterprise

applications simply for its speed and

the number of people who know it

popularity wise Java may have seen some

better days and despite some valid

criticisms it's not likely to be going

anywhere Java may not run the web

anymore but get one stid but it

certainly hasn't died like flash has

either the story of java is one of

resilience and adaptability the same

language originally designed to build a

better TV remote managed to evolve into

the one that brought interactive content

to the web and when weeded out of that

space moved on to be the basis for

nearly every app available today if

that's not adaptability I don't know

what is

[Music]

thank you

[Music]