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

Jython (Python)


Python is a dynamic language and is, generally, both easy to learn and very powerful. It has a rich runtime library and, thanks to its rising popularity, a very lively ecosystem. It supports object-oriented programming but does not enforce it. Likewise, it supports a lot of constructs required for functional programming. Jython, a JVM implementation of Python, is currently based on the Python 2.7 version of the language. At the time of writing this book, it was announced that the development of a Python 3-based version of Jython will be started.

Note

Python 3 fixed a lot of issues with the earlier Python versions, but to do so, it had to break compatibility in many places. The result was that for years, many developers stayed on Python 2 for their projects. The tide is turning and the Python team is expected to abandon Python 2 development in the year 2020.

Jython is an open source implementation of the Python language that runs solely on the JVM. Predating Groovy, it was one...