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The History of Java

Java is an object-oriented programming language developed in the 1990s by a team of programmers led by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems, which was acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2008. Unlike modern programming languages, which are compiled to native code, Java is compiled to bytecode that is interpreted by a virtual machine (Java Virtual Machine, abbreviated JVM). The Java programming language is the conventional language of the Java Platform, but it is not its only language. J2ME is used in computer games, cell phones, calculators, and even car radios.
In 1991, the Green Project, the birthplace of Java, an object-oriented programming language, was launched at Sun Microsystems. The project’s mentors were Patrick Naughton, Mike Sheridan, and James Gosling. They believed that eventually, computers would converge with the equipment and appliances people frequently use in their daily lives. To prove the viability of this idea, thirteen people worked for eighteen months. In the summer of 1992, they emerged from an office on Sand Hill Road (in Menlo Park) with a working demonstration of their initial idea. The prototype was called *7 (pronounced “Star Seven”), a remote control with a touchscreen graphical interface, accompanied by a mascot, now widely known in the Java world, Duke, who served as a virtual guide, helping users use the device. Star-seven had the ability to control various devices and applications. James Gosling specified a new programming language for *7 called “Oak,” meaning oak, a tree he could see when he looked out his window. The next step was to find a market for Star-seven. The team thought a good idea would be to control televisions and video-on-demand with the equipment. They built a demo called MovieWood, but unfortunately, it was too early for video-on-demand and cable companies to make the business viable. The idea *7 was trying to sell is now a reality in interactive programs and also in digital television. Allowing viewers to interact with the broadcaster and programming on a large cable network was very visionary and far from what cable TV companies had the capacity to understand and buy. It was the right idea at the wrong time. However, the internet boom happened, and a large interactive network was quickly establishing itself. It was this type of interactive network that the *7 team was trying to sell to cable TV companies. And, overnight, it was no longer necessary to build the infrastructure for the network; it simply was there. Gosling was tasked with adapting Oak for the internet, and in January 1995, a new version of Oak was released, renamed Java—saying it was inspired by the coffee the development team consumed, originating from the island of Java, and which is also present in the Java logo. Java technology was designed to move across networks of heterogeneous devices, networks like the internet. Now, applications could be run within browsers using Java Applets, and everything would be available instantly over the internet. It was the static HTML of browsers that fueled the rapid spread of the dynamic Java technology. The speed of subsequent developments was staggering; the number of users grew rapidly, and major technology vendors such as IBM announced support for Java technology. Since its launch in May 1995, the Java platform has been adopted faster than any other programming language in the history of computing. In 2004, Java reached the milestone of 3 million developers worldwide. Java continued to grow and is now a benchmark in the software development market. Java became popular for its use on the internet, and its runtime environment is now present in browsers, mainframes, operating systems, cell phones, palmtops, smart cards, etc.
Standardization In 1997, Sun Microsystems attempted to submit the language for standardization by the ISO/IEC and ECMA agencies, but ultimately gave up. Java remains a de facto standard, which is controlled through the JCP (Java Community Process). In November 2006, Sun released most of Java as free software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL), completing the process in May 2007, making virtually all Java code open source, except for a small portion to which Sun does not hold legal rights. License Sun makes most Java distributions available free of charge and earns revenue from more specialized programs such as the Java Enterprise System. On November 13, 2006, Sun released parts of Java as free software under the GNU General Public License. The release of the source code under the GPL occurred in May 2007.
Acquisition by Oracle
In 2008, Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems, the company responsible for the Java language, for US$7.4 billion, with the goal of bringing Java and other Sun products to consumers.
Certifications
There are eight types of Oracle certifications for Java:
Oracle Certified Enterprise Architect (OCEA);
Oracle Certified Mobile Application Developer (OCMAD);
Oracle Certified Developer for Java Web Services (OCDJWS);
Oracle Certified Business Component Developer (OCBCD);
Oracle Certified Web Component Developer (OCWCD);
Oracle Certified Java Developer (OCJD);
Oracle Certified Java Programmer (OCJP);
Oracle Certified Java Associate (OCJA);
Each certification tests some type of skill within the Java platform and language. All tests are administered by Pearson VUE and are internationally recognized.
Community
The Java developer community gathers in groups called JUGs (Java User Groups). In Brazil, the user group movement has expanded significantly and has formed some of the largest Java user groups in the world, such as PortalJava, GUJ, and JavaFree.
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