Istorijat Jave

[Miroslav]

Citat iz knjige Java: The Complete Reference:

Java was conceived by James Gosling, Patrick Naughton, Chris Warth, Ed Frank, and Mike Sheridan at Sun Microsystems, Inc. in 1991. It took 18 months to develop the first working version. This language was initially called “Oak,” but was renamed “Java” in 1995. Between the initial implementation of Oak in the fall of 1992 and the public announcement of Java in the spring of 1995, many more people contributed to the design and evolution of the language. Bill Joy, Arthur van Hoff, Jonathan Payne, Frank Yellin, and Tim Lindholm were key contributors to the maturing of the original prototype.

Somewhat surprisingly, the original impetus for Java was not the Internet! Instead, the primary motivation was the need for a platform-independent (that is, architecture-neutral) language that could be used to create software to be embedded in various consumer electronic devices, such as microwave ovens and remote controls. As you can probably guess, many different types of CPUs are used as controllers. The trouble with C and C++ (and most other languages) is that they are designed to be compiled for a specific target. Although it is possible to compile a C++ program for just about any type of CPU, to do so requires a full C++ compiler targeted for that CPU. The problem is that compilers are expensive and time-consuming to create. An easier—and more cost-efficient—solution was needed. In an attempt to find such a solution, Gosling and others began work on a portable, platform-independent language that could be used to produce code that would run on a variety of CPUs under differing environments. This effort ultimately led to the creation of Java.

About the time that the details of Java were being worked out, a second, and ultimately more important, factor was emerging that would play a crucial role in the future of Java. This second force was, of course, the World Wide Web. Had the Web not taken shape at about the same time that Java was being implemented, Java might have remained a useful but obscure language for programming consumer electronics. However, with the emergence of the World Wide Web, Java was propelled to the forefront of computer language design, because the Web, too, demanded portable programs.

Most programmers learn early in their careers that portable programs are as elusive as they are desirable. While the quest for a way to create efficient, portable (platform-independent) programs is nearly as old as the discipline of programming itself, it had taken a back seat to other, more pressing problems. Further, because (at that time) much of the computer world had divided itself into the three competing camps of Intel, Macintosh, and UNIX, most programmers stayed within their fortified boundaries, and the urgent need for portable code was reduced. However, with the advent of the Internet and the Web, the old problem of portability returned with a vengeance. After all, the Internet consists of a diverse, distributed universe populated with various types of computers, operating systems, and CPUs. Even though many kinds of platforms are attached to the Internet, users would like them all to be able to run the same program. What was once an irritating but low-priority problem had become a high-profile necessity.

By 1993, it became obvious to members of the Java design team that the problems of portability frequently encountered when creating code for embedded controllers are also found when attempting to create code for the Internet. In fact, the same problem that Java was initially designed to solve on a small scale could also be applied to the Internet on a large scale. This realization caused the focus of Java to switch from consumer electronics to Internet programming. So, while the desire for an architecture-neutral programming language provided the initial spark, the Internet ultimately led to Java’s large-scale success. As mentioned earlier, Java derives much of its character from C and C++. This is by intent. The Java designers knew that using the familiar syntax of C and echoing the object-oriented features of C++ would make their language appealing to the legions of experienced C/C++ programmers. In addition to the surface similarities, Java shares some of the other attributes that helped make C and C++ successful. First, Java was designed, tested, and refined by real, working programmers. It is a language grounded in the needs and experiences of the people who devised it. Thus, Java is a programmer’s language. Second, Java is cohesive and logically consistent. Third, except for those constraints imposed by the Internet environment, Java gives you, the programmer, full control. If you program well, your programs reflect it. If you program poorly, your programs reflect that, too. Put differently, Java is not a language with training wheels. It is a language for professional programmers.

Because of the similarities between Java and C++, it is tempting to think of Java as simply the “Internet version of C++.” However, to do so would be a large mistake. Java has significant practical and philosophical differences. While it is true that Java was influenced by C++, it is not an enhanced version of C++. For example, Java is neither upwardly nor downwardly compatible with C++. Of course, the similarities with C++ are significant, and if you are a C++ programmer, then you will feel right at home with Java. One other point: Java was not designed to replace C++. Java was designed to solve a certain set of problems. C++ was designed to solve a different set of problems. Both will coexist for many years to come.

As mentioned at the start of this chapter, computer languages evolve for two reasons: to adapt to changes in environment and to implement advances in the art of programming. The environmental change that prompted Java was the need for platform-independent programs destined for distribution on the Internet. However, Java also embodies changes in the way that people approach the writing of programs. For example, Java enhanced and refined the object-oriented paradigm used by C++, added integrated support for multithreading, and provided a library that simplified Internet access. In the final analysis, though, it was not the individual features of Java that made it so remarkable. Rather, it was the language as a whole. Java was the perfect response to the demands of the then newly emerging, highly distributed computing universe. Java was to Internet programming what C was to system programming: a revolutionary force that changed the world.

Istorijat koji se navodi u lekciji kursa IT akademije je u sustini skracena verzija ovog teksta.

[Miroslav]

Skracena verzija gorenavedenog teksta moze se naci u knjizi Java: A Beginner's Guide:

Computer language innovation is driven forward by two factors: improvements in the art of  programming and changes in the computing environment. Java is no exception. Building upon  the rich legacy inherited from C and C++, Java adds refinements and features that reflect the  current state of the art in programming. Responding to the rise of the online environment, Java offers features that streamline programming for a highly distributed architecture.

Java was conceived by James Gosling, Patrick Naughton, Chris Warth, Ed Frank, and Mike Sheridan at Sun Microsystems in 1991. This language was initially called “Oak” but was renamed “Java” in 1995. Somewhat surprisingly, the original impetus for Java was not the Internet! Instead, the primary motivation was the need for a platform-independent language that could be used to create software to be embedded in various consumer electronic devices, such as toasters, microwave ovens, and remote controls. As you can probably guess, many different types of CPUs are used as controllers. The trouble was that (at that time) most computer languages were designed to be compiled for a specific target. For example, consider C++.

Although it was possible to compile a C++ program for just about any type of CPU, to do so required a full C++ compiler targeted for that CPU. The problem, however, is that compilers are expensive and time-consuming to create. In an attempt to find a better solution, Gosling and others worked on a portable, cross-platform language that could produce code that would run on a variety of CPUs under differing environments. This effort ultimately led to the creation of Java.

About the time that the details of Java were being worked out, a second, and ultimately more important, factor emerged that would play a crucial role in the future of Java. This second force was, of course, the World Wide Web. Had the Web not taken shape at about the same time that Java was being implemented, Java might have remained a useful but obscure language for programming consumer electronics. However, with the emergence of the Web, Java was propelled to the forefront of computer language design, because the Web, too, demanded portable programs.

Most programmers learn early in their careers that portable programs are as elusive as they are desirable. While the quest for a way to create efficient, portable (platform-independent) programs is nearly as old as the discipline of programming itself, it had taken a back seat to other, more pressing problems. However, with the advent of the Internet and the Web, the old problem of portability returned with a vengeance. After all, the Internet consists of a diverse, distributed universe populated with many types of computers, operating systems, and CPUs. What was once an irritating but a low-priority problem had become a high-profile necessity. By 1993, it became obvious to members of the Java design team that the problems of portability frequently encountered when creating code for embedded controllers are also found when attempting to create code for the Internet. This realization caused the focus of Java to switch from consumer electronics to Internet programming. So, while it was the desire for an architecture-neutral programming language that provided the initial spark, it was the Internet that ultimately led to Java’s large-scale success.

Sto je u stvari lekcija iz kursa na Engleskom sa ponekim detaljom vise.

[Miroslav]

Ono sto je najbitnije da se zapamti iz ovoga je:

1. Da je Java nastala 1991. godine i da se u pocetku zvala "Oak"
   
2. Da su njeni tvorci James Gosling i ekipa iz Sun Microsystems-a
   
3. Da je u pocetku bila namenjena razvoju softvera potrosacke elektronike (mikrotalasne pecnice, tosteri, daljinski upravljaci i slicno.)
   
4. Da je osnovni problem bio razvoj portabilnog jezika, odnosno jezika koji bi mogao da radi na svim uredjajima, nezavisno od toga koje procesore oni koriste (posto su svi dotadasnji jezici bili namenjeni specificnoj platformi)
   
5. Da je promenila naziv 1995. godine u "Java" (kazu da su se Gosling i ekipa ubijali od Java kafe u to vreme.)
   
6. Da se sa pojavom World Wide Web-a  namena Jave prosiruje i na Internet, posto je Internet sa sobom nosio iste one probleme koje su Gosling i ekipa pokusavali da rese (a to je potreba za portabilnim jezikom, odnosno, potreba za jezikom kojim mogu da se pisu programi koji ce raditi na svim uredjajima i u svim okruzenjima.)
   
7. Gosling i ekipa nisu hteli da izmisljaju potpuno nov jezik vec su Javu bazirali na vec postojecim jezicima kao sto su C i C++ cime su omogucili programerima da se sa izuzetnom lakocom prilagode Javi
   

[Miroslav]

James Gosling licno:



Mislio sam da lici na Ryan-a Gosling-a, pitam se zasto.

[Miroslav]

U lekciji se takodje pominje da je proces izrade kompajlera mnogo komplikovaniji od procesa izrade virtuelnih masina i da je to jedan od razloga zbog cega postoji potreba za portabilnim jezicima. Medjutim, ja nisam siguran da je toj informaciji tu mesto. Mislim, jeste, posto je to deo istorije, ali da bi neko mogao da razume istoriju prvo mora da razume individualne elemente koji cine tu istoriju. Neprirodno je ocekivati od coveka da odmah u startu razume konkretnu problematiku kojom su se bavili programeri u neko davno vreme ako pritom ne zna ni najobicniju for petlju da napise. Neophodno je prvo razumeti neke stvari o programiranju -- praksa uvek treba da bude ispred teorije. Ja nisam protiv teorije. Naprotiv! ja obozavam teoriju, sto se moze videti na ovom forumu. Samo kazem da ako covek nema prakticno iskustvo onda je sva teorija uzalud. Prvo ide praksa PA TEK ONDA teorija. Sve ostalo navodi coveka na bubanje, na kratkoracno memorisanje i brzorocno zaboravljanje odmah nakon polaganja testa. A cemu to?

Ali avaj, skrenuh s teme.

[Miroslav]

Takodje, odmah na pocetku, navodi se sledece:

Sledeće godine, Sun Microsystems predstavlja Star7, PDA uređaj sa touchscreenom i animiranim grafičkim korisničkim okruženjem, na kojem debituje Oak, novi procesorkso nezavisni programski jezik napisan godinu dana ranije specijalno za ovaj uređaj. Uređaj je prošao gotovo nezapaženo.

Medjutim, postavlja se pitanje: koliko je realno bitna ova informacija? Okej, mozemo da dodamo: Java je debitovala 1992. godine na PDA uredjaju pod imenom Star7, no, taj uredjaj je prosao gotovo nezapazeno. Koja je poenta? Mozda da bi istakli da je Java popularan zahvaljujuci Internetu a ne potrosackoj elektronici?

Sad da se pojavi pitanje na testu u vezi tog uredjaja, ja bih sigurno kiksnuo, posto ne volim da memorisem, a nebitne detalje nikad ne pamtim.

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