Java turns 30 and shows no signs of slowing down

The big picture: Java stands as one of the enduring pillars of the software world. The programming language was released by Sun Microsystems on May 23, 1995, and so far has weathered the shifting tides of technology, outlasting many of its rivals and adapting to new eras of computing. Java's origins trace back to the early 1990s, when a team at Sun Microsystems led by James Gosling set out to develop a language for interactive television and embedded devices. Initially dubbed "Oak," the project aimed to simplify application development across a range of devices. Gosling famously described Java as "C++ without the guns and knives," a nod to its safer and more streamlined syntax. Gosling, who remains closely associated with Java to this day, described the language as "C++ without guns and knives," a nod to its simpler, safer syntax compared to its predecessor. As the World Wide Web began to take off, Java's focus shifted from consumer electronics to internet applications. The language ... Read full article.