History of Java (1991–2024) in English and Hindi | Login Technologies

History of Java Programming Language

1. Origin and Birth of Java (1991–1995)

Who created Java?
Java was created by James Gosling, Mike Sheridan, and Patrick Naughton at Sun Microsystems.

Why was Java created?
Initially developed for embedded systems like TVs and remote controls as the Green Project, later renamed Oak.

Why the name 'Oak'?
Named after an oak tree outside Gosling's office. Renamed due to trademark issues.

Why 'Java'?
Named after Java coffee from Indonesia; chosen for its simplicity and energy.

1995: Java 1.0 officially released by Sun Microsystems with the slogan "Write Once, Run Anywhere" (WORA).

2. Early Milestones (1996–1999)

  • 1996 - Java 1.0: Supported applets in web browsers.
  • 1997 - Java 1.1: Added inner classes, RMI, reflection, JavaBeans.
  • 1998 - Java 2 (J2SE 1.2): Introduced Swing, Collections; split into J2SE, J2EE, and J2ME.

3. Java Becomes Mainstream (2000–2006)

Java became dominant in enterprise (J2EE), used in banking, e-commerce, government.

2004 - Java 5: Major features: Generics, Annotations, Enums, Autoboxing, Enhanced for loop. J2SE renamed to Java SE.

4. Java Under Oracle (2009–present)

  • 2009: Oracle acquires Sun Microsystems.
  • 2011 - Java 7: Try-with-resources, NIO.2, diamond operator.
  • 2014 - Java 8: Lambdas, Streams API, functional programming.
  • 2017 - Java 9: Module system (Project Jigsaw).
  • 2018 - Java 11 (LTS): Removed Applets, new HTTP Client API.
  • 2021 - Java 17 (LTS): Modern features and performance boosts.
  • 2024 - Java 21 (LTS): Virtual threads, pattern matching, records.

5. Java Today

  • Used for Enterprise, Android, Big Data (Hadoop), Web, Desktop, and Cloud applications.
  • Strong community, stable, platform-independent.

Summary Table

YearVersionKey Features
1995Java 1.0First official release
1997Java 1.1Inner classes, RMI
1998Java 2Swing, Collections, J2SE/J2EE/J2ME
2004Java 5Generics, Annotations, Enums
2011Java 7NIO.2, Try-with-resources
2014Java 8Lambdas, Streams API
2017Java 9Module system (Jigsaw)
2018Java 11 (LTS)HTTP Client API
2021Java 17 (LTS)Sealed classes, new syntax
2024Java 21 (LTS)Virtual threads, pattern matching

Conclusion

Java has evolved over decades to become a powerful, secure, and versatile language with widespread use in modern software development.