Greentalk / Oak
In 1995, I was working at CSC when I transitioned to a new team under Paul Mariotti. This move would put me at the forefront of some of the most significant technological developments of the era - including early work with a programming language called Oak, which you might know better by its later name: Java.
The CSC European Research Lab
Paul Mariotti was establishing the CSC European Research Lab, and I had the opportunity to be part of this exciting new venture. The lab was focused on emerging technologies and experimental computing concepts that would shape the future of software development.
It was an environment where we could explore cutting-edge technologies without the constraints of immediate commercial applications. This freedom to experiment would prove invaluable for understanding the potential of new programming paradigms.
Enter Oak
One of the most interesting technologies we began working with was a new programming language from Sun Microsystems called Oak. It was part of what was initially called "Greentalk" - a project that promised platform-independent programming and distributed computing capabilities.
Using a Sun workstation, I set up an internal web server and began experimenting with Oak's capabilities. The language was designed with network computing in mind, and its potential for distributed applications was immediately apparent.
Distributed Computing Concepts
One of the most fascinating experiments I conducted involved using remote method invocation (RMI) to harness the computing power of other machines on the network. The concept was to calculate π by distributing the computational work across multiple computers, leveraging their idle CPU cycles.
This was revolutionary thinking in 1995. The idea that you could seamlessly use computing resources from other machines across a network opened up entirely new possibilities for how we approached complex computational problems.
The experiment worked beautifully, demonstrating how Oak's architecture could enable true distributed computing applications.
The Transformation
Soon after proving the concept, Oak was renamed again. This time, it became Java.
What started as an experimental language for embedded systems had evolved into something much more significant - a platform-independent programming environment that would transform software development and enable the internet applications we take for granted today.
Looking Back: 2009 Update
Years later, in 2009, I found myself celebrating a birthday in Italy with Paul Mariotti. It was a chance to reflect on those early days at the CSC European Research Lab and the technologies we had the privilege to work with before they became mainstream.
Looking Forward: 2015 Perspective
By 2015, the distributed computing concepts we experimented with in 1995 had become fundamental to numerous applications:
- Folding@Home - Using distributed computing to simulate protein folding
- SETI@home - Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence using volunteer computing
- Blockchain mining - Distributed consensus and computation networks
- Cloud computing - Large-scale distributed computing as a service
The fundamental concepts we explored with Oak's RMI capabilities in 1995 had become the foundation for distributed computing systems serving millions of users worldwide.
The Lasting Impact
Working with Oak in its early days taught me several crucial lessons:
Platform independence matters: Oak's "write once, run anywhere" philosophy would prove to be one of the most important developments in software engineering.
Network computing is the future: The ability to seamlessly use computing resources across networks would become fundamental to modern computing.
Experimentation drives innovation: Having the freedom to explore new technologies without immediate commercial pressure enabled discoveries that wouldn't have happened otherwise.
Simple concepts can have massive impact: The basic idea of remote method invocation seemed simple, but its implications were enormous.
From Oak to the Modern World
It's remarkable to think that the experimental work we were doing with Oak in 1995 would eventually contribute to technologies that power everything from mobile applications to enterprise systems to cryptocurrency networks.
The distributed computing experiment that seemed like an interesting technical exercise in 1995 prefigured a world where distributed processing would become not just common, but essential.
Sometimes the most significant technological developments start as simple experiments in research labs. Being part of that process - watching Oak become Java and seeing distributed computing concepts evolve into global infrastructure - has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career in technology.
Those days at the CSC European Research Lab remind me why I've always valued working at the intersection of research and practical application. The future is built by people willing to experiment with ideas that seem impossible today.