Java Resources

[mwinter]

don't they refer to the same thing?

No. See Java Platform and Java programming language at Wikipedia, though for comparing the two, Programming language might be a better overview.

You should only need to read the introductory paragraphs to get your answer.

Mike

[jr_yeo]

not much of a technie guy myself could somebody else explain it in layman's (layperson's) terms? tnx.

[Twey]

what's the difference between Java platform and Java language? doesnt they refer to the same thing?

Not at all. The standard Java compiler (javac) and most others compile Java down into bytecode; that is, a binary interpreted language. This is what gives Java its platform independance. The Java "virtual machine" then runs the bytecode as if it were a CPU, translating it into native code appropriate for the real platform. This doesn't have to be true, however; it is theoretically possible to write a compiler for the Java language that compiled directly native code.

On the other hand, we have languages like Groovy that compile down into Java bytecode (which can interoperate fully with Java bytecode compiled from the Java language). These languages aren't Java, but their output will run on the Java platform.

[jr_yeo]

tnx.

<edit>
if others wont mind, i beg the question. can others post questions relating to JSP, JSF and other stuff like how to connect to Tomcat or how to use Ant, ANTLR, maven and jikes.

[Twey]

Of course, it's all Java related.

[jr_yeo]

which is all m really trying to say

[edit]
trying is the keyword.