Java is like the Swiss Army knife of programming languages. Created by Sun Microsystems in 1995 and now owned by Oracle, it's designed to be highly portable, meaning code written in Java can run on any device that has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It's used for everything from building Android apps to large-scale enterprise systems. Java's syntax is similar to C++, but it has fewer low-level facilities, making it easier to use while still powerful. Think of it as a reliable, versatile tool in the world of software development.