Yesterday I was looking through some Java job postings on Facebook for Vancouver. There were a few. Something in one of them caught my eye:

“The fine print…this is actually just a test of your attention to detail. If you include the hexadecimal value of the signature bytes used to identify a Java class file in the subject line of your email, your application will receive priority treatment. ”

I thought that’s a bit random but decided to have a look, and what do you know. CAFEBABE is supposedly a “oblique reference to the cute baristas at Peet’s Coffee” - where the original java geeks hung out. Nice.

On a more serious note though, the structure of the Java class file is a large topic in itself:

• The class file lifestyle (on JavaWorld) and a good summary
• Class file and the VM