Java – Explained In 200 Words

Java is a widely-used programming language known for its simplicity and versatility. Created by James Gosling and his team at Sun Microsystems in the mid-1990s, Java was designed to be easy to learn and use. It gained popularity due to its “write once, run anywhere” mantra, meaning code written in Java can run on any device with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), regardless of the underlying hardware and operating system.

Java is utilized in various domains, including web development, mobile app development (such as Android), enterprise applications, and scientific computing. Its object-oriented nature allows developers to organize code into reusable components called classes, promoting modularity and code maintainability.

For example, consider a simple Java program to calculate the area of a circle:


public class CalculateArea {
   public static void main(String[] args) {
      double radius = 5.0;
      double area = Math.PI * radius * radius;
      System.out.println(“The area of the circle is: ” + area);
   }
}


In this example, Java’s syntax is straightforward, using classes, methods, and variables to perform a specific task. This simplicity, coupled with its platform independence and robust standard library, makes Java a popular choice for developers worldwide.