Couldn't you say the same of J2ME?
Re:JamVM – A compact Java Virtual Machine
by joncrocks on Monday September 22, 2014 @04:13PM
(#8352354)
True enough. I might have mis-stated things slightly.
I think the only difference might be the portability. Android takes 'Java' code and outputs 'android machine code' that can/does only runs on an 'android machine' (I think).
Compiled Java in theory should run the same on any JVM, as it's virtual machine code, and the 'machines' use the same set of defined instructions.
The same applies to other JVMs in the embedded space.
For example, J9, http://www-01.ibm.com/software/wireless/wece/features.html
==> jar2jxe: A utility for converting Java class and archive files to the native J9 JXE file format.
Or JamaicaVM Builder
https://www.aicas.com/cms/sites/default/files/jamaicavm_6.3_...
The big difference between these JVM and Dalvik, is that they are certified JVMs, whereas Google tried to workaround the licensing issue for embedded Java deployments.
Not only that, but it's also good to note that Android != Java. It's best described as Java-like, in that there are some libraries/features in Java that aren't supported in Android, so it's a bit of a misnomer to describe it as a full JVM.