When did Java first get a JIT compiler for production code?
http://java.sun.com/features/2000/06/time-line.html
October 25, 1996 Sun announces first Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler for Java platform
Also, from wikipedia: Since JRE version 1.2, Sun's JVM implementation has included a just-in-time compiler instead of an interpreter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(Sun)