Write once, run anywhere (WORA), or sometimes Write once, run everywhere (WORE), was a 1995[1] slogan created by Sun Microsystems to illustrate the cross-platform benefits of the Java programming language.[2][3] Ideally, this meant that a Java program could be developed on any device, compiled into standard bytecode, and be expected to run on any device equipped with a Java virtual machine (JVM). The installation of a JVM or Java interpreter on chips, devices, or software packages became an industry standard practice.
The catch is that since there are multiple JVM implementations, on top of a wide variety of different operating systems, there could be subtle differences in how a program executes on each JVM/OS combination, possibly requiring an application to be tested on each target platform. This gave rise to a joke among Java developers: Write once, debug everywhere.[4]
In comparison, the Squeak Smalltalk programming language and environment boasts of being truly write once, run anywhere,[5] because it runs bit-identical images across its wide portability base.[6]
↑ "JavaSoft ships Java 1.0". Sun Microsystems. 1996-01-23. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Java's write-once-run-everywhere capability along with its easy accessibility have propelled the software and Internet communities to embrace it as the de facto standard for writing applications for complex networks
↑ Wong, William (2002-05-27). "Write Once, Debug Everywhere". electronicdesign.com. Retrieved 2013-02-04. So far, the "Write-once, run-everywhere" promise of Java hasn't come true. The bulk of a Java application will migrate between most Java implementations, but taking advantage of a VM-specific feature causes porting problems.
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