The purpose of this text is to introduce computer programming to a diverse audience. It uses Java as the programming medium since the language provides a relatively safe environment for beginning students to learn programming concepts while offering a rich platform capable of building industrial-strength software systems. Students therefore can be exposed quickly to object-oriented principles with the assurance that, if necessary, they later can build upon these experiences and do more serious software development without having to learn another programming language. 

Concerns exist about using Java as the first programming language. Many have observed that beginners must use some sophisticated language features before they understand what they mean just to write simple programs. The Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interst Group on Computer Science Education (ACM-SIGSCE) commissioned the ACM Java Task Force to explore and address these concerns. It proposed a new style of Java programming using a custom class library.