The first release of the Java programming language was introduced in 1995 after four years of development. Java was initially called Oak, named for a tree outside the office of Java’s creator ...

It was never the sexiest language, but for decades Java has been a mainstay of modern technology, and it's going to be with us for years to come.

The Java programming language celebrates its silver anniversary this week, with May 23, 2020, marking 25 years from the day Sun Microsystems first introduced Java to the world.

But 20 years ago, the language was delivered to an entirely different set of needs: a good, general-purpose language for desktop computing. Java arrived at an important moment in software development.