List of Java Versions

1995: Version 1.0 of the Java Development Kit (JDK) was released for free by Sun.
8 packages with 212 classes
Netscape 2.0-4.0 included Java 1.0.
Microsoft and other companies licensed Java.

1997: Version 1.1:
23 packages - 504 classes
Improvements include better event handling, inner classes, improved JVM.
Microsoft developed its own 1.1. compatible Java Virtual Machine for the Internet Explorer.
Many browsers in use are still compatible only with 1.1.
Swing packages of greatly improved graphics became available during this time but not included with the core language.

1999: Version 1.2, also called the Java 2 Platform
59 packages - 1520 classes
Code and tools distributed as The Software Development Kit (SDK)
Java Foundation Classes (JFC), based on Swing, for improved graphics and user interfaces, now included with the core language.
Collections API included support for various lists, sets, and hash maps.

2000: Version 1.3:
76 packages - 1842 classes
Performance enhancements including the Hotspot virtual machine.

2002: Version 1.4:
135 packages - 2991 classes
Improved IO, XML support, etc.

2004: Version 5.0 (previously numbered 1.5):
165 packages, over 3000 classes
Faster startup and smaller memory footprint
Metadata
Formatted output
Generics
Improved multithreading features