Key Terminologies

Java Virtual Machine – Interpretor for Java Byte code

Java Runtime Environment – collective term for Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and standard java class libraries

CLASSPATH – environment variable denoting the source file path for classes and interfaces ( llibraries APIs).

javac – java compiler (also a cross compiler, can generate target class files for execution in Java Platform versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 & 5.0 )

command line options:

– classpath – specifies additional path for library APIs

– sourcepath – sources of classes to compile

– target version – target Java Platform version of compiled class files

java – Java Application Launcher (starts a new instance of Java Runtime Environment & executes the main method)

javaw – Java application Launcher, unlike java, javaw launches the application without a console window (incase of launch error a dialog box appears)

jdb – Java Debugger

javah – C Header and Stub file Generator. Used to implement java native methods as per as Java Native Interface (JNI).

javap – Java class file Disassembler

javadoc – Java API Documentation Generator, generates HTML documentation of APIs exposed from Java source (descriptions of methods and variables are generated from javadoc comments).