Sams Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days, Sixth Edition

Day 1. Getting Started with Java

The thing that Java tries to do and is actually remarkably successful at is spanning a lot of different domains, so you can do app server work, you can do cell phone work, you can do scientific programming, you can write software, do interplanetary navigation, all kinds of stuff...

—Java language creator James Gosling

When the Java programming language was unleashed on the public in 1995, it was an inventive toy for the Web that had the potential to be more.

The word “potential” is a compliment that comes with an expiration date. Sooner or later, potential must be realized, or new words and phrases are used in its place, such as “slacker,” “letdown,” “waste,” and “major disappointment to your mother and me.”