Whats the difference between the Java versions?
The major release versions of the Sun Java Software Development Kit (SDK, also known as the JDK) include significant API changes that provide extra programming features built upon the core Java software platform. That means that the basic features of the Java language do not change from one release to the next, so most existing programs will run successfully when compiled with the new SDK. Some core packages may gain additional features in new Java releases, but it is very rare for established API features to be removed, which would break backwards compatibility. Superseded or problematic API methods are usually marked deprecated before they are removed altogether, to give programmers the chance to upgrade their code to the new standard. Deprecated classes and methods can still be used to develop and run Java programs, but the compiler will issue warnings. Sun publish a set of release notes for each SDK release with their archive of previous Java SDK releases.
