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History of Java
technology
Java-technology borns from the Oak project, the basic
target of that was developing of object-oriented resources of
describing and communications of different electronic devices. But
after failure of this project in 1994 was decided to use it in
InterNet technologies.
In April 1995 begins the free spreading of HotJava -
interface for Sun-platforms to view World Wide Web. Almost month
later Netscape Communication - the most popular researcher in
interfaces for Internet, buying license on Java.
Nowadays HotJava is made not only for SunOS or
Solaris, but for many of another Unix-platforms and Windows NT.
Java can be used on almost all platforms excluding DOS and Windows
3.x. That was a small course to history of Java-technology.
But now in more detail:
The origins of Java™
go back to 1990 whereas the Internet did not exist yet and that the
Internet did not benefit from publicity and from the current
network coverage yet. The PC (Personal Computer) was in full
ascending phase. At Sun, many thought of having missed a
significant turning in data processing and particularly in hardware
during the Nineties. The Sun workstations, despite their success,
were considered complicated, ugly and much too specialized for the
public. Sun needed therefore a new spearhead to boost again its
activity.
Spring
90
Naughton, Gosling and Sheridan define some guiding
principles for a new project: the consumer is the center of the
project, it is necessary to build an environment of small size with
a small team and to integrate this in a new generation of machines,
user friendly computers for "normal people".
Spring
91
One finds microprocessors in mass electronics. The
team, baptized "green team" decides to build the prototype of a
machine which would control the electric household appliances,
telephone, etc.
August
91
The machine has now as an ambition to interface the man
with the "cyberspace". Gosling, disappointed by the C++ , creates a
robust language, industrial, object oriented named OAK. Naughton
develops a graphic interface and animations.
August
92
A presentation is made to Scott Mc Nealy. One sees a
character named DUKE to guide the user through a cartoon house in
order to start a coffee machine or to record a film with the video
tape recorder.
March
93
The team becomes a company "FirstPerson", answers to
official tenders, tests itself with its first strategic alliances.
In June 1993, the Mosaic software is launched by NSCA, the Web
takes off.
Summer
93
FirstPerson is not economically viable. The legendary
programmer Bill Joy saves the project and Eric Schmidt, the
technical director of Sun, requests them to adapt Oak to the
incipient Internet. Gosling will work on the internal code whereas
Naughton attempts to develop a strategic application.
January
95
Oak is a trade name, the project will as on now called
now Java™. The Naughton
application, an interpreter for a Web navigator is named HotJava.
August
95
Five years later, the first licence of Java is sold in
Netscape. But this it is the history or the prehistory of Java™. Since May 23 1995, the day when Sun
officially presented Java, the language made much publicity for its
relation with the very mediatized Internet because of its intrinsic
qualities which makes it a language by itself. But before evoking
the present and the future of Java™, let us see how the language is presented.