Which company developed the Java programming language before it became part of Oracle?

Sun Microsystems developed the Java programming language before it became part of Oracle.

Java was created at Sun Microsystems in the 1990s by a team led by James Gosling. Sun introduced Java in 1995, promoting the idea that compiled programs could run on different systems through the Java Virtual Machine. The language became important in enterprise software, web applications, and Android development.

Oracle agreed to acquire Sun Microsystems in 2009, and the transaction closed in 2010. Oracle thereby acquired Java, Solaris, MySQL, and Sun’s hardware and software assets. Sun no longer exists as an independent publicly traded company.

This history can be confused with Oracle’s later ownership of Java. Oracle maintains and develops Java today, but Sun Microsystems was the original creator. The question is also distinct from asking who created JavaScript, which was developed at Netscape by Brendan Eich.