Java 1

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Java Platform

What is Java?
Java is a programming language and a computing platform for application development. It
was first released by Sun Microsystem in 1995 and later acquired by Oracle Corporation. It is
one of the most used programming languages.
What is Java Platform?

 Java platform is a collection of programs that help to develop and run programs written in
the Java programming language. Java platform includes an execution engine, a compiler,
and a set of libraries. JAVA is platform-independent language. It is not specific to any
processor or operating system. To understand JAVA programming language, we need to
understand some basic concept of how a computer program can run a command and
execute the action.
What is PC?

 A computer is an electronic device capable of

performing computations, and we all know
that it is composed of a monitor, keyboard,
mouse, and memory to store information. But
the most important component of the
computer is a PROCESSOR. Which does all
thinking of computer, but the question is how
the computer does this thinking? How does it
understand text, images, videos, etc.?
What is Assembly Language?

 The computer is an electronic device, and it

can only understand electronic signals or
binary signals. For example, the 5-volt
electronic signal may represent binary number
1 while 0 volts may represent binary number
0. So your PC is continuously bombarded with
these signals.
 Eight bits of such signals are grouped
together to interpret Text, numerical, and
symbols.
 For example, the # symbol is identified by the
computer as 10101010. Similarly, the pattern
for adding a function is represented by
10000011.
 This is known as 8-bit computing. Current day processor is
capable of decoding 64-bit time. But what is the relation of
this concept with the programming language JAVA? Let
understand these as an example.
 Suppose if you want to tell the computer to add two numbers
(1+2) represented by some binary numbers (10000011), how
are you going to tell this to your computer? Yes, we are going
to use assembly language to get our code executed.
 “Assembly Language is the most elementary form of
software development languages.”
 We are going to give the command to a computer in this
format, as shown below. Your code to add two numbers in
this language would be in this order.
• Store number 1 at memory location say A
• Store number 2 at memory location say B
• Add contents of Location A & B
• Store results
 But how are we going to do this? Back in the 1950s, when computers were huge and
consumed a great deal of power, you would convert your assembly code into
corresponding machine code to 1 and 0’s using mapping sheets. Later, this code will be
punched into the machine cards and feed to the computer. The computer will read
these codes and execute the program. This would be a long process then until
ASSEMBLER came to help.
What are Assembler and Compiler?

 With the advancement in technology, i/o

devices were invented. You could directly
type your program into the PC using
ASSEMBLER. It converts it into the
corresponding machine code (110001..) and
feeds it to your processor. Coming back to
our example addition of (1+2), the assembler
will convert this code into machine code and
output.
 That apart, you will also have to make calls to create
Operating System provided functions to display the code’s
output.
 But alone the assembler is not involved in this process; it
also requires the compiler to compile the long code into a
small chunk of codes. With the advancement in software
development languages, this entire assembly code could
shrink into just one line print f 1+2 A with the software
called COMPILER. It is used to convert your c language
 code into assembly code. The assembler converts it into
corresponding machine code. This machine code will be
transmitted to the processor. The most common
processor used in PC or Computers are the Intel processor.
 Though present-day compilers come bundled with assembler can directly convert
your higher language code into machine code.
 Now, suppose the Windows operating system runs on this Intel processor, a
combination of Operating System plus the processor is called the PLATFORM. The
most common platform in the world is Windows, and Intel is called the Wintel
Platform. The other popular platforms are AMD and Linux, Power PC, and Mac OS X.
 Now, with a change in processor, the assembly instructions will also change. For
example:
• Add instruction in Intel may be called ADDITION for AMD
• OR Math ADD for Power PC
 And, with a change in Operating System, OS-level calls’ level and nature’ will also
change.
 As a developer, I want my software program to work on all platforms to maximize my
revenues. So I would have to buy separate compilers that convert my print f
command into the native machine code.
 But compilers come expensive, and there is a chance of compatibility issues. So buying
and installing a separate compiler for different OS and processor is not feasible. So,
what can be an alternative solution? Enter Java language.
How Java Virtual Machine works?

 By using Java Virtual Machine, this problem

can be solved. But how it works on different
processors and O.S. Let’s understand this
process step by step.
 Step 1) The code to display the addition of two numbers is System.out.println(1+2), and saved as a .java file.
 Step 2) Using the java compiler the code is converted into an intermediate code called the bytecode. The
output is a .class file.
 Step 3) This code is not understood by any platform, but only a virtual platform called the Java Virtual
Machine.
 Step 4) This Virtual Machine resides in the RAM of your operating system. When the Virtual Machine is fed with
this bytecode, it identifies the platform it is working on and converts the bytecode into the native machine
code.
 While working on your PC or browsing the web, whenever you see either of these icons, be assured the java
virtual machine is loaded into your RAM. But what makes Java lucrative is that code, once compiled, can run
not only on all PC platforms but also on mobiles or other electronic gadgets supporting Java.
 Hence,
 “Java is a programming language as well as a Platform”
How is Java Platform Independent?

 Like the C compiler, the Java compiler does not produce native executable code for a
particular machine. Instead, Java produces a unique format called bytecode. It
executes according to the rules laid out in the virtual machine specification. Therefore,
Java is a platform-independent language.
 Bytecode is understandable to any JVM installed on any OS. In short, the java source
code can run on all operating systems.
 Summary:

• ava is a multi-platform, object-oriented, and network-centric programming language Java is a general-purpose, class-based, object-
oriented programming language.
• Java Platform is a collection of programs that help programmers to develop and run Java applications efficiently.
• Meaning of Java: Java is a multi-platform and network-centric programming language.
• It is mainly used for developing Android Apps and Enterprise Software.
• 2009, Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems and took ownership of three key Sun software assets: Java, Solaris, and MySQL.
• The latest version of Java released on September 15th, 2020
• The best feature of the Java is that it is one of the easiest programming languages to learn.
• Four types of Java Programming language platforms are: 1) Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE) 2) Java Platform, Enterprise Edition
(Java EE) 3) Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME) 4) JavaFX
• A computer is an electronic device capable of performing computations.
• The computer only understands electronic signals or binary signals.
• Assembler is an advanced technology that converts source core to corresponding machine code (110001..) and feeds to your processor.
What is JVM (Java Virtual Machine):
Architecture Explained!

 What is JVM?
 Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is a engine that provides runtime environment to drive the
Java Code or applications. It converts Java bytecode into machines language. JVM is a
part of Java Runtime Environment (JRE). In other programming languages, the
compiler produces machine code for a particular system. However, Java compiler
produces code for a Virtual Machine known as Java Virtual Machine.
How JVM Works?

 First, Java code is compiled into bytecode.

This bytecode gets interpreted on different
machines
 Between host system and Java source,
Bytecode is an intermediary language.
 JVM in Java is responsible for allocating
memory space.
JVM Architecture

 Now in this JVM tutorial, let’s understand the

Architecture of JVM. JVM architecture in Java
contains classloader, memory area,
execution engine etc.
JVM Architecture

 1) ClassLoader
The class loader is a subsystem used for loading class files. It performs three major functions viz. Loading, Linking, and
Initialization.
 2) Method Area
JVM Method Area stores class structures like metadata, the constant runtime pool, and the code for methods.
 3) Heap
All the Objects, their related instance variables, and arrays are stored in the heap. This memory is common and shared across
multiple threads.
 4) JVM language Stacks
Java language Stacks store local variables, and it’s partial results. Each thread has its own JVM stack, created simultaneously
as the thread is created. A new frame is created whenever a method is invoked, and it is deleted when method invocation
process is complete.
 5) PC Registers
PC register store the address of the Java virtual machine instruction which is currently executing. In Java, each thread has its
separate PC register.
JVM Architecture

 6) Native Method Stacks

Native method stacks hold the instruction of native code depends on the native library. It is
written in another language instead of Java.
 7) Execution Engine
It is a type of software used to test hardware, software, or complete systems. The test execution
engine never carries any information about the tested product.
 8) Native Method interface
The Native Method Interface is a programming framework. It allows Java code which is running in
a JVM to call by libraries and native applications.
 9) Native Method Libraries
Native Libraries is a collection of the Native Libraries(C, C++) which are needed by the Execution
Engine.
Software Code Compilation & Execution
process

 In order to write and execute a software program, you need the following
 1) Editor – To type your program into, a notepad could be used for this
 2) Compiler – To convert your high language program into native machine code
 3) Linker – To combine different program files reference in your main program together.
 4) Loader – To load the files from your secondary storage device like Hard Disk, Flash Drive,
CD into RAM for execution. The loading is automatically done when you execute your code.
 5) Execution – Actual execution of the code which is handled by your OS & processor.
 With this background, refer the following video & learn the JVM internal working and
architecture of JVM (Java Virtual Machine).
C code Compilation and Execution process

 To understand the Java compiling process in

Java. Let’s first take a quick look to compiling
and linking process in C.
 Suppose in the main, you have called two
function f1 and f2. The main function is
stored in file a1.c.
 Function f1 is stored in a file a2.c
 Function f2 is stored in a file a3.c
 All these files, i.e., a1.c, a2.c, and a3.c, is fed
to the compiler. Whose output is the
corresponding object files which are the
machine code.
 The next step is integrating all these object
files into a single .exe file with the help of
linker. The linker will club all these files
together and produces the .exe file.
 During program run, a loader program will
load a.exe into the RAM for the execution.
Java code Compilation and Execution in
Java VM

 Now in this JVM tutorial, let’s look at the

process for JAVA. In your main, you have two
methods f1 and f2.
• The main method is stored in file a1.java
• f1 is stored in a file as a2.java
• f2 is stored in a file as a3.java
Java code Compilation and Execution in
Java VM

 The compiler will compile the three files and

produces 3 corresponding .class file which
consists of BYTE code. Unlike C, no linking is
done.
 The Java VM or Java Virtual Machine resides
on the RAM. During execution, using the class
loader the class files are brought on the RAM.
The BYTE code is verified for any security
breaches.
Java code Compilation and Execution in
Java VM

 Next, the execution engine will convert the

Bytecode into Native machine code. This is
just in time compiling. It is one of the main
reason why Java is comparatively slow.
NOTE: JIT or Just-in-time compiler is the
part of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It
interprets part of the Byte Code that has
similar functionality at the same time.
 Why is Java both Interpreted and
Compiled Language?

 Programming languages are classified as

• Higher Level Language Ex. C++, Java
• Middle-Level Languages Ex. C
• Low-Level Language Ex Assembly
• finally the lowest level as the Machine Language.
 A compiler is a program which converts a program from one level of language to another. Example conversion of C++ program into
machine code.
 The java compiler converts high-level java code into bytecode (which is also a type of machine code).
 An interpreter is a program which converts a program at one level to another programming language at the same level. Example
conversion of Java program into C++
 In Java, the Just In Time Code generator converts the bytecode into the native machine code which are at the same programming levels.
 Hence, Java is both compiled as well as interpreted language.
Why is Java slow?

 The two main reasons behind the slowness of Java are

1. Dynamic Linking: Unlike C, linking is done at run-time, every time the program is run
in Java.
2. Run-time Interpreter: The conversion of byte code into native machine code is done at
run-time in Java which furthers slows down the speed
 However, the latest version of Java has addressed the performance bottlenecks to a
great extent.
Summary:

• Full form of JVM is Java Virtual Machine. JVM in Java is the engine that drives the Java
Code. It converts Java bytecode into machines language.
• JVM architecture in Java contains classloader, memory area, execution engine etc.
• In JVM, Java code is compiled to bytecode. This bytecode gets interpreted on different
machines
• JIT stands for Just-in-time compiler. JIT is the part of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It
is used to speed up the execution time
• In comparison to other compiler machines, JVM in Java may be slow in execution.