Why Java is a platform, technology and a language?

Hi all,
Can anyone help me in this?
When i was reading a book i could notice a statement saying that, "Java is a Platform, technology and a language to eevelop stand-alone and internet-based applications". Why it is so?

Why java is called as a Platform? and what is they mean to say technology?

Thanks,
ratheesh

A valid question.

That Java is a language is obvious even to a novice. Now, it's not just the syntactical system that makes up Java. You need to have the virtual machine to run it. That, roughly, makes Java a platform. Without the JVM to run a Java program on, it isn't completely Java.

Further, the library (API) that comes bundled with Java is pretty much integral to the Java phenomenon. Can you imagine coding without Object or String? So, all this bundled together makes Java a technology.

Thus, as they say, it's all at the same time.

Comparing it with other languages helps give you a perspective.
When C was released, there was no standard library. The effort of creating a standard library was extraneous and came in much later.

Hope this explains.

Thanks!
Thanks Mr.Stuart, thanks for your valid and useful information!!

ratheesh

You're welcome

Nirbhay Khatod,
Your post was moved to a new topic.

Nice answer Mr.Stuart,
I need one more clarification.

Java comes along with the virtual machine JVM and the API, in a similar way, C proramming language comes along with the Compiler,Linker and others which run the C program(considering Turbo C), and it has the standard library, then why can't we call C as a technology???

Please help me.

Hi Aryan. Welcome to the Ranch!

Since Stuart wrote that message seven years ago (and doesn't seem to have posted here in 5 years), there's a fair chance he's not going to read your message.