Chapter 1. Introduction to the Java Virtual Machine

Think about the CPU in your computer. No matter what make or model of CPU you own, it serves the same basic functions as any other CPU: it performs arithmetic calculations, controls access to memory, manages the flow of control of programs, and provides a way for programs to use hardware attached to the system.

Even though all CPUs perform essentially the same job, programs designed for one CPU do not work on another. The developers of Java had a simple idea: design an abstraction of a CPU, and implement it for a variety of computers. Once this virtual computer is implemented on a particular system, all programs written for the virtual computer will run on that system. This allows programmers to write a program once, then run it anywhere. This virtual computer is called the Java virtual machine (JVM).

Because the JVM isn't biased toward any particular CPU, it can provide a more abstract view of memory. Instead of providing direct access to the bits-and-bytes level of memory, the JVM treats memory as a collection of objects. This is a paradigm called object-oriented programming, and it offers a number of advantages.

One advantage is that it allows better control over which programs are allowed to access which parts of memory. This affords the JVM control over access to the hardware of the system. The JVM developers created a set of rules all programs must play by. As long as all programs play by the rules, it is possible to provide assurances to program users that the programs are not trying to damage the system.

These rules are made concrete in an algorithm called verification, which detects which programs follow the rules and which don't. A key goal of verification is to detect invalid programs even before they run. Only programs that are approved by the verification algorithm run. This prevents malicious or mistaken software from doing unpleasant things: it never gets a chance to run.

These and other features make the Java virtual machine one of the most interesting aspects of the very popular Java programming language. Throughout this book we will examine how to write programs for the Java virtual machine and explain how it fulfills some of its remarkable promises.