How to Check Java Version

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Among all the programming languages, Java is considered to be the most commonly used language that has been adopted worldwide. There are numerous reasons why Java has gained popularity over other alternatives. There is no doubt that Java has been famous among all Fortune 500 companies and is widely recommended by developers. Its user-friendly and flexible nature makes it a go-to programming language for web developers and programmers. 

The main reasons behind Java being popular is its fast speed, high-end security, and reliability. Along with such benefits, Java also offers private transmission, automatic memory management, and secure crucial information. 

About Java

Introduced in the 1990s by James Gosling, Java is an object-oriented, robust, and secure programming language. The team started this Java project to develop a language suitable, especially for digital devices like set-top boxes, television, etc. At first, C++ was to be used in the Java project but was not considered for some reasons. Later, Gosling expanded C++ and led to another stage of a project Green, which was later renamed the ‘Greentalk’ project by Gosling and his team members. These project files had the file extension as .gt, which is later recognized as ‘OAK.’ 

The name ‘OAK’ was given to the project after an oak tree that was located outside Gosling’s office. But later on, the term ‘OAK’ was changed to Java. After various talks and brainstorming sessions, Gosling and his team come to multiple names- JAVA, DNA, SILK, BURY, etc. Still, they decided on JAVA after many discussions due to its uniqueness. This name (Java) comes up from a type of espresso bean. Gosling and his team members had come up with this name while having a cup of coffee near their office.

The main principles on which Java was built are- robust, portable, platform-independent, multi-thread, etc. In 1995, Java was recognized as one of the ten best products in Time magazine. Today, Java has been used in various fields like internet programming, mobile devices, games, etc. later, multiple versions of Java have been introduced over the years with new added features and functionalities. 

Versions of Java

Over time, Java has introduced various versions with different and advanced features than the earlier version. Every version has fulfilled the drawback of their previous versions. Some of the versions are still supported, and some of them are not. Below is the list of all the Java versions introduced to date.

Why Consider Java?

There are various reasons that you can consider Java. We have discussed some of the reasons below.

Internal Data Management 

If we consider programming languages like C and C++, they use pointer values to manage the application memory and safeguard data. But these pointers can be used by hackers for accessing personal and crucial information. Pointers cannot verify the users making the particular request and end up providing memory access to the hackers without authorizing their access, which is harmful to confidential data. 

On the other hand, Java uses its internal memory and data management system to block unauthorized access. Any hacker will not be able to infiltrate these security systems easily.

Automated Memory Management

Java can handle its internal memory and data management system on its own. It makes sure that the developers do not have to manage the internal memory, such as garbage collection manually. Java frees the used memory automatically whenever the resources are no longer required, posing no extra work on the developers. 

This freeing memory system helps reduce overhead programming costs and allows the developers to focus on the details of the application development without any distraction.

Error Detection and Handling

If you do not check the error regularly, then it may crash your program. But this can be easily avoided in Java as it comes with an error checker with its compiler. Java compiler suggests changes to the program whenever it senses any errors and gets rid of them to enhance the authenticity. This feature minimizes the chances for unauthorized modification done to the program as a programmer has to approve the suggested changes before implementing them.

Secure Garbage Collection

Java is mostly famous due to its unique features, and one of them is garbage collection, which automatically frees the memory. This method helps in restoring the unused memory more securely. This type of memory management helps in preventing the malware from being fed on the resources. 

How to Check the Java Version 

Before you start working and installing Java on any platform, you must know what version of Java you have installed on your system. Java is a platform-independent programming language and can be installed on any operating system without any problem. We shall see the various ways to find out the Java version. We will be covering the following:

• Checking Java version installed on Windows 
• Checking Java version installed on Mac

Checking Java Version Installed on Windows

You can check the installed Java version using various ways mentioned below:

• Using the Windows start menu.
• Using the Java Control Panel.
• Using Windows Programs option.

Using the Windows Start Menu

You can follow the below-mentioned steps and apply for platforms like- Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, and Windows XP:

• Click the Windows start menu.
• Search for the programs option from the list.
• Look for the Java program from the list.
• Then, click on the About Java option to check the installed version.

Using Control Panel

Without going for the cmd terminal, you can check the Java version using the Control panel. You can follow the below-mentioned steps:

• Search for the Control panel from the Windows menu from the bottom-left corner. 
• You will see the control panel icon and click it to open.

• Select programs option from there.
• Search for the Java program from the list.
• Open the Java control panel.
• Go to the General tab from the top list of the prompt and select the About option.

• A window will appear displaying the Java version for your system.

Using Command Line

Apart from GUI, you can use the command-line tool for checking the installed Java version. You must follow the below-mentioned steps.

• Click the start menu.
• Search for the cmd tool from the run prompt.
• You will get a cmd console to type the command.
• Try running the following command to check the Java version.

  javac -version  

Checking Java Version Installed on Mac

You can use the below methods to check the Java version installed on your Mac system:

• Using GUI.
• Using the terminal window.

Using GUI

You can search for the Java control panel from the System preferences. You can follow the below-mentioned steps.

• Select the Apple icon from the menu bar, and a drop-down will appear.
• Search for the System preferences.
• A window will appear from which you can click the Java icon and open the Java control panel.

• A prompt will appear displaying the Java version.

Using terminal

You can follow these steps:

• Click the search button on the top-right corner of the screen.
• Search for the terminal by typing and click on the terminal icon from there.
• Run the following command to check the Java version.

  java -version

Conclusion 

Java is the most commonly used programming language among other alternatives. However, there are various reasons to choose Java over other languages. With Java, programming has become more comfortable, and many functionalities are mentioned in the above article. 

If you are working on Java projects, you have to install the Java version. If you have already installed Java and are willing to know the version. You can quickly implement any of the methods that seem suitable to you.