Interesting history of java.....

In 1990, Sun Microsystems started a project
called Green.
– Objective: to develop software for
consumer electronics.
– Sun best known for its popular Unix
workstation, Solaris OS, and Network
File System (NFS).
- The team started writing programs in C++ for
embedding into
– toasters
– washing machines
– VCR’s
– PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistants)
• Aim was to make these appliances more
“intelligent”. But they soon realized...

• C++ is powerful, but also dangerous.
– The power and popularity of C derived
from the extensive use of pointers.
– However, any incorrect use of pointers
can cause memory leaks, leading the
program to crash.
– In a complex program, such memory
leaks are often hard to detect.

• Robustness is essential
– Users have come to expect that
Windows may crash or that a program
running under Windows may crash.
(“This program has performed an illegal
operation and will be shut down”)
– However, users do not expect toasters to
crash, or washing machines to crash.
– A design for consumer electronics has
to be robust. Replacing pointers by
references, and automating memory
management was the proposed solution.

• Oak: Hence, the team built a new programming
language called Oak, which
– avoided potentially dangerous
constructs in C++, such as pointers,
pointer arithmetic, operator overloading
etc.
– introduced automatic memory
management, freeing the programmer to
concentrate on other things.

• Architecture neutrality (Platform independence)
– Many different CPU’s are used as
controllers. Hardware chips are evolving
rapidly. As better chips become
available, older chips become obsolete
and their production is stopped.
– Manufacturers of toasters and washing
machines would like to use the chips
available off the shelf, and would not like
to reinvest in compiler development
every two-three years.
– So, the software and programming
language had to be architecture neutral.

• It was soon realized that these design goals of
consumer electronics perfectly suited an ideal
programming language for the Internet and
WWW, which should be:
– object-oriented (& support GUI)
– robust
– architecture neutral

• Internet programming presented a BIG business
opportunity. Much bigger than programming for
consumer electronics.
– Java was “re-targeted” for the Internet

• In 1994, an early web browser called WebRunner
was written in Oak. WebRunner was later
renamed HotJava.

• In 1995, Oak was renamed Java.
– A common story is that the name Java
relates to the place from where the
development team got its coffee.
– The name Java survived the trade mark
search.

• Additional features were added to make Java
– secure
– multithreaded (concurrent)
– distributed and dynamic
– high performance

->Ramesh Parajuli

Easy vs Difficult....

EASY vs DIFFICULT

Easy is to judge the mistakes of others, Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes
Easy is to talk without thinking, Difficult is to refrain the tongue

Easy is to hurt someone who loves us, Difficult is to heal the wound...

Easy is to forgive others, Difficult is to ask for forgiveness
Easy is to set rules, Difficult is to follow them...
Easy is to dream every night, Difficult is to fight for a dream...
Easy is to show victory, Difficult is to assume defeat with dignity...
Easy is to admire a full moon, Difficult to see the other side...
Easy is to stumble with a stone, Difficult is to get up...
Easy is to enjoy life every day, Difficult to give its real value...
Easy is to promise something to someone, Difficult is to fulfill that promise...
Easy is to say we love, Difficult is to show it every day...
Easy is to criticize others, Difficult is to improve oneself...
Easy is to make mistakes, Difficult is to learn from them...
Easy is to weep for a lost love, Difficult is to take care of it so not to lose it.
Easy is to think about improving, Difficult is to stop thinking it and put it into action...
Easy is to think bad of others, Difficult is to give them the benefit of the doubt...
Easy is to receive, Difficult is to give
Easy to read this, Difficult to follow
Easy is keep the friendship with words, Difficult is to keep it with meanings.