Is Java ancient yet? The kind of programming language used by old timers who prattle on about front panels with blinking lights and the days of floppy disks? Or is it still hip, with all the latest language enhancements for intuitive coding and top-notch performance? Maybe Java is somewhere in between: a mature language, but young at heart.
Close to 30 years ago on May 23, 1995, Java officially entered the world. It began as an enabling technology called “Oak” for a set-top box that Sun Microsystems imagined would soon colonize the American living room. That plan didn’t work out, not at first, anyway. But the language grew into one of the core foundations for modern software, running on everything from tiny sensor chips to large server boxes.
