Why Java ?
When Internet originated, there was a widespread effort to share information in a standard manner that looked the same on all machines, regardless of the hardware, software or speed of transmission. HTTP protocol defined a standard process of information access that gained immediate acceptance. Mosaic browsers demonstrated to the world how media-rich content could be embedded into HTML to make the information exchange more lively and interesting. As the cardinality of the bodies interacting with the internet increased, more creation and features went into HTML. However, it was not long before it was realised that HTML was not a true language. It was constrained when requirements went beyond formatting the information. There was a need for extensibility that would cater to various application requirements as they came up.
The platform independence of Java made it possible to use it as a language that could extend the capabilities of web designers.
Java, an offspring of Sun, was a concept that was developed for embedded systems. Embedded systems are programmed circuits that are controlled by microprocessors.
Typically the command and control of such circuits reside in EPROMS in the form of native machine instruction programs. The instruction formats for such programs change substantially from processor to processor. Since the code is written at a very low level to optimise speed and space, it is dependent upon the associated platform. The process of writing code for embedded systems is also very tedious and requires a clear understanding of the hardware. The basic idea of Java was to define a hypothetical microprocessor - The Java Virtual Machine.
This JVM could understand and execute instructions of a particular format similar to a physical microprocessor. The objective was to simulate an environment that was exactly same on any microprocessor where a JVM has been implemented. A code written in this manner would be portable across all platforms where JVM is available. If a JVM could be simulated on an embedded system, it was very easy to simulate it on a PC platform. This feature provided a plug on the browser software which could execute a Java code in a platform-independent manner by browsers running on any H/W or S/W. Sun demonstrated how Java Applets could be embedded on HTML. The Java- enabled browsers create a JVM environment and submit to it any applet that is downloaded. This feature enables a browser to actually act rather than just display formatted information.
Java is a very versatile concept. Apart from being integrated with web pages, it can be used in a host of other areas : Complete Application Development, Cross Platform Development, Embedded systems, Smart Card Applications etc. Embedded microcontrollers running Java have been implemented on Set Top Boxes, Pagers, Cellular phones , Network Routers and countless other devices.
When Internet originated, there was a widespread effort to share information in a standard manner that looked the same on all machines, regardless of the hardware, software or speed of transmission. HTTP protocol defined a standard process of information access that gained immediate acceptance. Mosaic browsers demonstrated to the world how media-rich content could be embedded into HTML to make the information exchange more lively and interesting. As the cardinality of the bodies interacting with the internet increased, more creation and features went into HTML. However, it was not long before it was realised that HTML was not a true language. It was constrained when requirements went beyond formatting the information. There was a need for extensibility that would cater to various application requirements as they came up.
The platform independence of Java made it possible to use it as a language that could extend the capabilities of web designers.
Java, an offspring of Sun, was a concept that was developed for embedded systems. Embedded systems are programmed circuits that are controlled by microprocessors.
Typically the command and control of such circuits reside in EPROMS in the form of native machine instruction programs. The instruction formats for such programs change substantially from processor to processor. Since the code is written at a very low level to optimise speed and space, it is dependent upon the associated platform. The process of writing code for embedded systems is also very tedious and requires a clear understanding of the hardware. The basic idea of Java was to define a hypothetical microprocessor - The Java Virtual Machine.
This JVM could understand and execute instructions of a particular format similar to a physical microprocessor. The objective was to simulate an environment that was exactly same on any microprocessor where a JVM has been implemented. A code written in this manner would be portable across all platforms where JVM is available. If a JVM could be simulated on an embedded system, it was very easy to simulate it on a PC platform. This feature provided a plug on the browser software which could execute a Java code in a platform-independent manner by browsers running on any H/W or S/W. Sun demonstrated how Java Applets could be embedded on HTML. The Java- enabled browsers create a JVM environment and submit to it any applet that is downloaded. This feature enables a browser to actually act rather than just display formatted information.
Java is a very versatile concept. Apart from being integrated with web pages, it can be used in a host of other areas : Complete Application Development, Cross Platform Development, Embedded systems, Smart Card Applications etc. Embedded microcontrollers running Java have been implemented on Set Top Boxes, Pagers, Cellular phones , Network Routers and countless other devices.
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