Summary: Java - just what is it?

From: Jack Reiner (jjr2@edi-nola.com)
Date: Fri Jan 19 1996 - 15:42:44 CST


Original question:
>
>Hello All.
>
>I have been seeing a tremendous amount of marketing hype for this new JAVA.
>Unfortunately, the hype is so thick with superlatives I am having a hard time
>understanding just what JAVA is intended to do.
>
>This morning my company was solicited for a Java-SIG Corporate Sponsorship.
>Now I need to know exactly what JAVA and HotJAVA are and how they are intended
>to be used.
>
>Anyone out there know about (or has started using) JAVA?
>
>I suspect a lot of others also have this question; a summary will be
>forthcoming.
>
>Regards,
>Jack Reiner
>jjr2@edi-nola.com
 

Probably the clearest description came from Daniel.Blander@ACSacs.com

Java is a programming language based upon C++. Its goal is to
allow for the creation of minature applications (applettes) which
are transportable to different platforms without the need for multiple
compiles.

Java gives the ability for the programmer to write a piece of code,
pseudo-compile it, and make it available to users with a Java capable tool
to use it. This tool may be a browser (Netscape) or other application
tool. This tool will automatically finish-compile the Java for use on the
specific platform on which it is running. Java code is thereby portable.
It is small pieces of code that are pseudo-compiled and then final-compiled
after it is downloaded on the local machine. The code is object oriented
with pre-defined calls on the tool running on the client machine.

Also, from Thomas Jordan jordan@bell-atl.com

I just did a demo involving java. It is a programming language,
similar to c or perl. It allows interactivity in a mosiac like
window. Like a crossword puzzle makes a great java program,
or any other simple game. I'm not real familiar with the language itself,
but that's the idea.

And, finally from David Fetrow <fetrow@biostat.washington.edu>

 Java is basically a semi-interpreted version of C++
without pointers but with some net and multimedia extensions
designed so you can download and run fairly compact, fairly safe
code to do more-or-less anything over the net.
 

Thanks to:
 Daniel.Blander@ACSacs.com
 Scott Spevacek <spev@badger.state.wi.us>
 lkopl@ctp.com (Leslie Koplow)
 bf6y34v@is000913.bell-atl.com (Jordan)
 "Michael (M.A.) Meystel" <MEYSTMA@DUVM.BITNET>
 wdwright@ccgate.hac.com
 David Fetrow <fetrow@biostat.washington.edu>
 Anand Mehta <amehta@mcs.net>
 almasy@geomail.geomet.com (Edward Almasy)
 bern@penthesilea.uni-trier.de (Jochen Bern)
 Ashish Mahabal <aam@iucaa.iucaa.ernet.in>
 pasken@thunder.slu.edu (Robert Pasken)
 rico@vpro.nl (Rico Jansen)
 cz@bacher.co.at (Christian Zall - Bacher Systems EDV)
 Andy Cobley <acobley@mic.dundee.ac.uk>
 koen@ciminko.be (Koen Peeters)
 Anatoly.Lisovsky@kamaz.kazan.su (Anatoly M. Lisovsky)
 Mick Morgan <maillist@ccta.gov.uk>
 Dave Stern <stern@software.org>
 "Mike Varney - SysAdmin, HRI" <mlv03@health.state.ny.us>
 carlosm@eng.eccs.com (Carlos Morillo)
 gks@mailbag.com Wed Jan 3 09:03 CST 1996
 freeman@sdt.com (Art Freeman)
 fgreco@lehman.com (Frank Greco)
 Ashish Parikh <ashish@Savantage.Com>
 Eric Shafto <eshafto@caxy.lfa.lfc.edu>
 risto@kiva.com (Risto Tolonen)
 keith@oz.health.state.mn.us (Keith M Willenson)
 "Brandon M. Browning" <browninb@pacificu.edu>
 Phil.Parkman@eng.sun.com (Phil Parkman - PME)
 Andrew Lamb <andrew@mis.mua.go.th>
 pettyje@slwt1.maf.nasa.gov (John Petty d-4110 7-1925)
 Ulla Sandberg <ulla@stupi.se>



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