Platform dependency
One of the most important features of java is platform independency
and to understand how java achieved platform indecency, Platform?
one must learn what is platform dependency.
Let us understand what is platform to understand platform dependency.
Platform is a combination of hardware and software.
Hardware mainly refers to microprocessor and software refers to
Operating system.
For example, platform in your computer could be the combination of i5
processor and windows OS or it could be i9 processor and mac OS as shown
below. However, from Software engineer’s perspective, platform only refers to
OS.
Platform = Hardware + Software
After getting to know what is platform let us now understand
platform dependency by considering different cases of
C language which is very much platform dependent.
CASE I)
Exmp.c MLL
0101
HLL 1001
1100 O/P
1111
COMPILATION PHASE EXECUTION PHASE
WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM
In the above case, we considered a file of c programming language as the
extension is exmp.c. Since C programming language is platform dependent
programming language, its platform of execution and platform of compilation
must be same. In the above case the platform of compilation and platform of
execution is same which is windows operating system and hence we got the
output.
CASE II)
LAN
In the above case, we again considered a file of c programming language as the
extension is exmp.c. In this case, we considered two computers having same
operating system connected via LAN connection. If we now take a copy of
MLL file from first computer and try to execute it on second computer,
according to you will the file execute????
If incase you are still confused, just check two phases.
COMPILATION PHASE EXECUTION PHASE
Windows Windows
If you can refer the above table, compilation happened on windows and
execution happened on windows.
Since platform of compilation is same as that of platform of execution, the file
gets executed which simply means you will get the output.
CASE III)
LAN
This case is same as that of case ii except the platform of second computer that
is
COMPILATION PHASE EXECUTION PHASE
WINDOWS UNIX
If you can refer the above table, compilation happened on windows and execution
happened on Unix.
Since platform of compilation is not same as that of platform of execution, the
file will not get executed which simply means you will not get the output.
The problem faced in C or C++ programming language is that their compiler
directly converts High-level language code to machine level language code and
if this code is copied on other type of operating system and tried to execute, it
doesn’t work because the code was written using platform dependent
programming language.
To reslove this issue,
JAMES GOSLING, the inventor of java
introduced a programming language which
was platform independent.
Let us now learn how
java achieved platform indepenendcy.
Let us assume you are writing code using java in your computer which has
windows os. Since Machine understands machine level code not your high level
code, conversion must happen.
Let us see how exactly conversion happens in java.
Initially your HLL code is given as input to compiler but java compiler will not
give MLL code as ouput like c and c++ compiler rather it takes HLL as input and
gives a special type of code as output called as byte code which is platform
independent. Byte code is neither hll code nor mll code, hence it is also referred
to as intermediate code.
If you can recollect machine understands only MLL code but java compiler gave
you byte code. To resolve this, James Gosling provided a software called as
JVM(Java vitual Machine) which was platform dependent that is different OS
have different JVM. Since you are writing code on windows OS, you will have
to download windwos compatible JVM . JVM will now convert byte code to
machine level code which machine can easily understand.
In this way, java achieved platform independency using a special type of code
which is byte code.
Have a look at the figure shown below which justifies the explaination given
above.
Test.java Byte Code
@#$jig
HLL %^&*j1
@#$%^
Byte Byte Byte
Code code Code
Windows JVM Linux JVM Mac JVM
He Understood how Java achieved
Platform independency.
Did You?
1)Java is a platform independent programming language.
2) Java Compiler takes high-level language as input and converts it into byte
code.
3) Byte code is neither HLL code not MLL code, it is inbetween and hence it
is also called as intermediate code.
4) Byte code is Platform independent where as machine level code is platform
dependent.
5) JVM is a software which takes byte code as input and convetrs it into MLL
code.
6) JVM is platform dependent.
7) Different OS have different JVM.
8) Java achieved platform independency by making use of byte code as it is
a code which is platform independent.
9) Byte code is stored in class file.
10) Platform independency is also refrred as Portability.
11) Java is a portable programming language.
12) One of the disadvantage of java is, it is slow in execution when compared
to c and c++. This is due to the extra step involved in the conversion of HLL
code to MLL code which is converting HLL to byte code and then byte code
to MLL code.
The first electronic computer
ENIAC weighed more than
27 tons and took up
1800 square feet.
