Java是一種程序設(shè)計平臺
Java是一種優(yōu)秀的程序設(shè)計語言。對于一個名副其實的程序設(shè)計人員來說，使用Java無疑是一個好的選擇。有人認為:Java將有望成為一種最優(yōu)秀的程序設(shè)計語言，但還需要一個相當(dāng)長的發(fā)展時期。一旦一種語言應(yīng)用于某個領(lǐng)域，與現(xiàn)存代碼的相容性問題就擺在了人們的面前。”
Java并不只是一種語言。在此之前出現(xiàn)的那么多種語言也沒有能夠引起那么大的轟動。Java是一個完整的平臺，有一個龐大的庫，其中包含很多可重用的代碼和一個提供諸如安全性、跨操作系統(tǒng)的可移植性以及自動垃圾回收等服務(wù)的執(zhí)行環(huán)境。
作為一名程序設(shè)計人員，常常希望能夠有一種語言，它具有令人賞心悅目的語法和易于理解的語義(C++不是這樣的)。與許多其他的優(yōu)秀語言一樣，Java恰恰滿足了這些要求。有些語言提供了可移植性、垃圾回收等等，但是，沒有提供一個大型的庫，如果想要有奇特的繪圖功能、網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接功能和數(shù)據(jù)庫存取功能就必須自己

Java as a Programming Platform
Java is certainly a good programming language. There is no doubt that it is one of the better languages available to serious programmers. We think it could potentially have been a great programming language, but it is probably too late for that. Once a language is out in the field, the ugly reality of compatibility with existing code sets in."
Java was never just a language. There are lots of programming languages out there, and few of them make much of a splash. Java is a whole platform, with a huge library, containing lots of reusable code, and an execution environment that provides services such as security, portability across operating systems, and automatic garbage collection.
As a programmer, you will want a language with a pleasant syntax and comprehensible semantics (i.e., not C++). Java fits the bill, as do dozens of other fine languages. Some languages give you portability, garbage collection, and the like, but they don't have much of a library, forcing you to roll your own if you want fancy graphics or networking or database access. Well, Java has everything—a good language, a high-quality execution environment, and a vast library. That combination is what makes Java an irresistible proposition to so many programmers.