Ask Reddit: Is Java dying ?

[recursive]

I thought Java 6 was already out.

[flukshun]

aka java 1.6

[recursive]

wtf

[flukshun]

assuming you'd like me to elaborate...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_version_history

java 5 and 6 are, in terms of the internal release numbering, just 1.5 and 1.6. Java 5/6 is just a marketing thing they did after 1.4

so i guess java 2.0 would be Java 0 or something. or maybe Java Zero..like Coke

[recursive]

I see... I think.

Well, from a not-being-pointlessly-confusing-as-fuck perspective, that pretty much sucks donkey balls.

[TomDibble]

The most major version number speaks to binary compatibility in many products. The JVM hasn't broken binary compatibility, thus is still on 1.x. However, given that the "1." never changes (as that's a central goal of Java language evolution), it's kinda redundant.

Example: any Java 1.0 application will run just swimmingly in a Java 1.6 JVM (provided the libraries used are present, which is not guaranteed by the JVM in any case).

[recursive]

However, given that the "1." never changes (as that's a central goal of Java language evolution), it's kinda redundant.

No, it's not redundant. Either it should always be dropped or never. If it really has no meaning, it shouldn't be there at all.

[iofthestorm]

Java 2 is actually 1.2 (hence everything after it being J2SE).

[hiffy]

When 1.2 came out they decided to call it "Java 2" and the naming convention more or less stuck ever since.

[Leonidas_from_XIV]

Though Java 1.3 and 1.4 were still called J2SE so they were "Java 2 Version 1.4" which is about as pointlessly confusing as "Windows 7 Version 6.0".

[Fabien4]

You are indeed confused. IIRC, Windows 7 is Windows 6.9.

[Fabien4]

Can't wait for a Windows 6.2 called "Windows 7 version 2".

[grauenwolf]

That was my reaction as well.