Java is a crazy language that is taking the world by force. It was originally created for use in toasters and dishwashers, and is considered to be a subset of C++; it contains many of, but not all of the elements C++. Java is geared for object oriented programming. It also designed to be a very "colorful" language. Instead of focusing primarily on performance, Java devotes much to presentation. Graphics are extremely easy to implement in Java, and Java .class files (equivalents of .exe files) are only a few kilobytes large. This makes Java perfectly suitable for web presentations. These factors are causing Java to be the new standard in high school and college level course work; even the AP Computer Science test will be in java in 2 years!