From Java Tutorial - Summer 1997 Part 1:Introduction to Java Language CEWES Tutorial, Classes SU/Jackson State -- July 22-25 and Fall 97. byNancy J. McCracken,Geoffrey C. Fox
What is Java?
A simple, object oriented, distributed, interpreted, robust, safe, architechture neutral, portable, high performance, multithreaded, dynamic language.
Java is interesting because
It is both a general purpose object-oriented language along the lines of C++
and it is particularly designed to interface with Web pages and to enable distributed applications over the internet.
The Web is becoming the dominant software development arena; this will drive Java as the best supported, most widely taught language
Particularly good as a language for K-12 teaching
Even outside the web, e.g. in scientific computing, Java is as good and in some (modest) respects better than all other languages
