Supplements
Interpret/Compile
Making WebPages
Plug-in
Java 5.0 Features
The JVM
Advanced JVMs
Alt. Compilers
Alt. JVMs
Java Deployment

This set of supplements provides additional information about serveral topics mentioned in the Chapter 1: Java section.

We first provide introductory information about:

• Interpretation vs Compilation - we explore further into these two modes of computer language design and how Java combines the two.
  
  
• Creating Web Pages - a very brief introduction to creating web pages and posting them on a web site.

We then look at the

• Java Plug-in - how to get the Java plug-in installed for you and the users of your applets.
  
  
• Java 5.0 Features - more details about the new version of the language. This page assumes some general familiarity with object oriented progamming and the basics of Java. If you are completely new to the language, come back to it later after finishing Part I.

The following pages go into more detail on the two most important tools in Java: the compiler and the virtual machine:

• Java Virtual Machine (JVM) - more about the Java machine within a machine approach.
  
  
• Advanced JVMs - sophisticated JVM designs allow Java programs to reach speeds comparable to C & C++ programs.
  
  
• Alternate JVMs - JVMs are available from other companies than Sun Microsystems
  
  
• Alternative Java Compilers - Java bytecode for the JVM can be generated in many ways besides the standard Sun JDK compiler. In fact, the bytecode can come from non-Java languages.
  

The shaded boxes in the following graph shows the standard procedure taken with Sun's JDK tools - javac for compilation of source code to bytecode, and java virtual machine to run the programs.

The unshaded boxes, however, show how one can find many variations from this standard approach by using third-party tools. One can find independent sources for Java compilers, JVMs, and even compilers that convert other languages to bytecode.

For example, Microsoft developed its own clean-room version of the JVM for version 1.1. Unfortunately, it stopped development of Java tools after that.

In this course we will primarily follow the standard approach that starts with development of Java source code using a text editor. Then we the Sun SDK javac compiler on that source code to produce the bytecode (class file). The java virtual machine then executes this bytecode to run the program.

Latest update: Oct.13.2004

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