Java^TM

Java was the language of the month in February 1997.

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About the language

This kind of applets made Java popular. However Java can do lot more. It can really be used to build industrial strength systems as you do today in C++. Moreover, Java has many advantages over C++:

• Java supports garbage collection. This frees the developper to manage by hand memory deallocation. Garbage collection avoids two kinds of errors: in a language like C++ or Ada 95 a developper could free too many or too little memory.

  In the first case the developper is throwing out the baby with the bath water. In the second case the application will take more an more memory as time goes on.

• Java is a multiplatform language and provides byte-code portability. Many languages are more or less "portable" meaning "you only need to recompile your code to get an executable for another operating system". With many languages this doesn't work very well and you'll still have to support many operating systems "by hand".

  When compiling a Java program you get Java byte-code, not an executable. This byte-code can be run on any operating system where a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is available. This enables the developper to build its application once and then to distribute the same Java byte-code to all its client whatever operating system they are using.

• Unlike C++, Java is a modern purly object oriented language. Java is simpler to learn then C++ partly. Unlike C++, Java enables you to write portable multi-threaded applications. A portable library for writting GUI-based is also provided (the Abstract Window Toolkit or AWT).

What I think of the language

We have seen that Java has many advantages over older, more traditional languages such as C++. Just to refresh your mind, a garbage collector, a native support for multi-threaded applications, portable GUI and TCP/IP libraries come free with Java.

However Java is certainly not perfect. Java and C++ syntax are very similar. This is perhaps a positive point since old hand C++ programmers will find Java syntax easy and will be more encline to adopt this new language. (This is perhaps an other reason on Java's success.) However C++ syntax is certainly not the nicer syntax I've ever seen.

Two C++ usefull features are also absent from Java: genericity and multiple inheritance. Java is an evolving language and there is a hope that those two features will be added in futur versions of Java.

Projets involving Java

• A lot of applications are today developped in Java. To do so several environments are available to the programmers. Actually I think the best one is Symantec Visual Café Pro for Windows. However Café is only available for Windows.

  If you are using an other operating system, give a look to Sun Java Workshop. This is also an excellent developpement environment wich should run on any operating system having a JVM. However only Solaris and Windows 95/NT are officialy supported by Sun.

  There are also Asymetrix SuperCede and Microsoft J++. I didn't find those two environments really convincing. However other two major developpement environments will soon be available: IBM VisualAge for Java and Borland JBuilder. So keep an eye open.

• If you are looking for informations about Java, give look first at JavaSoft. You'll find there the Java Developpment kit (JDK) and all the official Java documentation (API, language reference, etc).

  If you're looking for an example or a particular library, give a look to Gamelan, a Java code repository. Give also a look to alphaWorks, the online Java experimentation laboratory of IBM. Their site is simply great and the presented technology is worth a look.

Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.