What is Java?

[agnivohneb]

I wanna know what Java is i have heard of Javascript in web pages. is it the same?

[Tony]

Not at all. Javascript is a client-side scripting language. Java is a server-side compiled (well... it's interpreted from the bytecode) language.

More information is available from Sun Microsystems

[wtd]

They are in fact quite different. Though they share similar syntax (both derived it more or less from C), semantically, they differ quite a bit.

I'm not entirely sure I'd agree with Tony is distinguishing them based on their use, as both can be put to quite varied uses.

[nishanthan]

a simple platform-independent object-oriented programming language used for writing applets that are downloaded from the World Wide Web by a client and run on the client's machine...
Java is an object-oriented programming language developed initially by James Gosling and colleagues at Sun Microsystems. The language, initially called Oak (named after the oak trees outside Gosling's office), was intended to replace C++, although the feature set better resembles that of Objective C. Java should not be confused with JavaScript, which shares only the name and a similar C-like syntax. Sun Microsystems currently maintains and updates Java regularly.
An multi-platform, object-oriented programming language from Sun Microsystems. The Java language syntax is somewhat similar to C. Java can be used to program applications and applets. Don't confuse Java with JavaScript.
Java is a high-level, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. It is similar to C++, but has been simplified to eliminate language features that cause common programming errors. Java is a general purpose programming language with a number of features that make the language well suited for use on the Web. ...
is a programming language expressly designed for use in the distributed environment of the Internet. It can be used to build small application modules or applets for use as part of a Web page. Applets make it possible for a Web page user to interact with the page.


Java (Indonesian: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. It is the most populous island in the world; indeed it has a larger population than either the continents of Australia or Antarctica (see the list of islands by population). With an area of 132,000 square km, 114 million inhabitants and 864 people per km², if it were a country it would be the second most densely populated country of the world, except for some very small city-states.