Table of contents
Creation
The Java programming language was developed in 1996 (the first version published) by Sun Microsystems and is based on the C programming language. Development started in 1991 by a team of developers led by James Gosling. The main programming purpose of the language was aimed at home appliances. These appliances used a variety of processors to work. So in order for Java to meet its goal, it would have to work on all those processors.
James Gosling is depicted above
A New Purpose
In 1994, Gosling realized that Java would be ideal for web browsers. This is where Java's connection to the internet started. A good thing happened about a year later when Netscape released another version of the Netscape browser. Why is this helpful to Java? Because the browser could finally run Java programs.
Netscape browser
Although Java was originally meant for one thing (mainly), it's a general-purpose language and can be used for almost anything.
Naming a Language
Java, which was originally named Oak, got its name in an interesting way. The devs decided on Oak but later had to change it because there was already a language named Oak. So many languages that you can't remember what's there! It's customary for the creator of a programming language to decide on the name. The name Java was agreed upon when the team went for coffee. Java is named after coffee. Very nice name though!
Conclusion
Java is a general-purpose language published in 1996 by a team of developers, led by James Gosling, at Sun Microsystems. It was originally named Oak but that name was taken and Java was decided upon in a coffee shop. The original purpose of Java was for electrical appliances with many processors but then shifted to web brosers. Still, Java can be used for almost anything, just like Python and any other general-purpose language out there. Some people prefer other languages, but Java can sometimes be really good. Make sure to read the next article for more knowledge about Java and how to start developing!