Selected tools for Java class and bytecode inspection in the educational environment

Abstract

Java is not only a modern, powerful, and frequently used programming language, but together with Java Virtual Machine it represents a novel dynamic approach of writing and executing computer programs. The fact that Java programs are executed in a controlled environment has several important implications that define the nature of the language and makes it different from the traditional C-like languages. Knowing the detailed differences between the two types of languages and execution environments is a part of the holistic education of a computer engineer. In this paper, we present some behind-the-scene details about the Java Virtual Machine and we show how these details could be used in the educational process to demonstrate the differences and to emphasise the advantages of the dynamic programming approach when compared to the static one. After presenting some information about class files and about the internal structure and operation of the Java Virtual Machine we demonstrate the usage of public domain programs that could be used in the educational process to put these theoretical concepts into practice.