Book Image

Introduction to JVM Languages

Book Image

Introduction to JVM Languages

Overview of this book

Anyone who knows software development knows about the Java Virtual Machine. The Java Virtual Machine is responsible for interpreting Java byte code and translating it into actions. In the beginning, Java was the only programming language used for the JVM. But increasing complexity of the language and the remarkable performance of the JVM created an opening for a new generation of programming languages. If you want to build a strong foundation with the Java Virtual Machine and get started with popular modern programming languages, then this book is for you. The book will begin with a general introduction of the JVM and its features, which are common to the JVM languages, helping you get abreast with its concepts. It will then dive into explaining languages such as Java, Scala, Clojure, Kotlin, and Groovy and will show how to work with each language, their features, use cases, and pros and cons. By writing example projects in those languages and focusing on each language’s strong points, it will help you find the programming language that is most appropriate for your particular needs. By the end of the book, you will have written multiple programs that run on the Java Virtual Machine and know about the differences between the various languages.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
Title Page
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Customer Feedback
Preface

Summary


In this appendix, we discussed yet another selection of JVM languages: Oracle's Nashorn (JavaScript), Jython (Python), JRuby (Ruby), Frege (Haskell), and Ceylon (a unique language). For each language, we discussed the main language and looked at a particularly interesting or unique feature or library. We also mentioned the name of the required Eclipse IDE plugin (if available for the language) and gave instructions on how to run the language using the interactive REPL shell, if the language provided one.

This concludes our book. We hope it helped provide you a better overview of both the JVM itself and some of the more important languages that target this powerful and stable virtual machine--a virtual machine that powers a lot of the popular mainstream online services and websites that millions of people use around the globe, and is expected to take full advantage of new technologies and trends as they emerge.