Java is a programming language that was invented at Sun MicroSystems, as a programming language for a cable television control box. The requirements for this device included the fact that programs must be small enough to be quickly downloaded to the control box over coaxial cable. Developers at Sun realized that the same capability would be useful in programs that were meant to be distributed over the World Wide Web and executed by a Web browser.

Programs that are written in Java must be compiled with a Java compiler. The output of the Java compiler is a byte-code file which can not be directly executed by any computer (at this time), but must be interpreted by a Java interpreter. The Java interpreter is sometimes called the Java Platform. A compiled Java program is executable by any machine that has a Java interpreter. The most widely used Java interpreter today is the Netscape Web Browser. Java interpreters are imbedded in all of the most popular Web browsers in order to add a more interactive capability than is provided by simple HTML.

The Java language is an object oriented programming (OOP) language, which is very similar to C++, yet programs written in the Java language are often only one third or one fourth the size of similar programs written in C++.

If you'd like to read some more about Java, and maybe even learn to write some Java programs, read the Java Tutorial.

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