Book Image

Mastering the Java Virtual Machine

By : Otavio Santana
Book Image

Mastering the Java Virtual Machine

By: Otavio Santana

Overview of this book

Mastering the Java Virtual Machine is a comprehensive guide that will take you into the heart of Java programming, guiding you through the intricate workings of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and equipping you with essential skills to become a proficient Java developer. You’ll start by understanding the JVM, exploring its architecture and how it executes Java code. Through detailed explanations and real-world examples, you’ll gain a deep understanding of JVM internals, enabling you to write efficient and optimized Java applications. As you progress, you’ll delve into memory management and execution, unraveling the complexities of heap and stack management, garbage collection, and memory profiling. You'll learn how memory is allocated and reclaimed in the JVM, as well as how to optimize memory usage and identify performance bottlenecks in your applications. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to create Java programs that are not only robust but also highly performant. By the end of this book, you’ll have the skills needed to excel in Java programming, writing efficient, maintainable code.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Part 1: Understanding the JVM
5
Part 2: Memory Management and Execution
9
Part 3: Alternative JVMs
12
Part 4: Advanced Java Topics

Value conversions

In this section, we immerse ourselves in the intricate realm of value conversions within the JVM. These conversions serve as the chameleons of the bytecode landscape, enabling variables to transform their types gracefully by allowing integers to stretch into longs and floats to transcend into doubles without compromising the fidelity of their original values. The bytecode instructions that facilitate these metamorphoses are crucial in maintaining precision, preventing data loss, and ensuring the seamless integration of different data types. Join us as we dissect these instructions, uncovering the symphony of elegance and accuracy that underpins Java programming:

  • Integer to long (i2l): Explore how the i2l instruction promotes an integer variable to a long, preserving the original value’s precision
  • Integer to float (i2f): Delve into the world of i2f, where an integer gracefully transforms into a float without sacrificing precision
  • Integer to double...