What Is Java?

Java is a computer programming language. It enables programmers to write computer instructions using English based commands, instead of having to write in numeric codes. It’s known as a “high-level” language because it can be read and written easily by humans. Like English, Java has a set of rules that determine how the instructions are written. These rules are known as its “syntax”. Once a program has been written, the high-level instructions are translated into numeric codes that computers can understand and execute.

Why Choose Java?

Java was designed with a few key principles in mind:

• Easy to Use: The fundamentals of Java came from a programming language called c++. Although c++ is a powerful language, it was felt to be too complex in its syntax, and inadequate for all of Java's requirements. Java built on, and improved the ideas of c++, to provide a programming language that was powerful and simple to use.

• Reliability: Java needed to reduce the likelihood of fatal errors from programmer mistakes. With this in mind, object-oriented programming was introduced. Once data and its manipulation were packaged together in one place, it increased Java’s robustness.
• Secure: As Java was originally targeting mobile devices that would be exchanging data over networks, it was built to include a high level of security. Java is probably the most secure programming language to date.

• Platform Independent: Programs needed to work regardless of the machine they were being executed on. Java was written to be a portable language that doesn't care about the operating system or the hardware of the computer.

The team at Sun Micro systems were successful in combining these key principles, and Java's popularity can be traced to it being a robust, secure, easy to use, and portable language.

Where it is used?

According to Sun, 3 billion devices run java. There are many devices where java is currently used. Some of them are as follows:

1. Desktop Applications such as acrobat reader, media player, antivirus etc.
2. Web Applications such as irctc.co.in, javatpoint.com etc.
3. Enterprise Applications such as banking applications.
4. Mobile
5. Embedded System
6. Smart Card
7. Robotics
8. Games etc.

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Types of Java Applications

There are mainly 4 type of applications that can be created using java programming:

1) Standalone Application

It is also known as desktop application or window-based application. An application that we need to install on every machine such as media player, antivirus etc. AWT and Swing are used in java for creating standalone applications.

2) Web Application

An application that runs on the server side and creates dynamic page, is called web application. Currently, servlet, jsp, struts, jsf etc. technologies are used for creating web applications in java.

3) Enterprise Application

An application that is distributed in nature, such as banking applications etc. It has the advantage of high level security, load balancing and clustering. In java, EJB is used for creating enterprise applications.

4) Mobile Application

An application that is created for mobile devices. Currently Android and Java ME are used for creating mobile applications.