The document compares Java bytecode and the Common Intermediate Language (CIL) used in .NET. Both Java and .NET compile source code to an intermediate bytecode - Java bytecode and CIL respectively. These bytecodes are then executed by their virtual machines - the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for Java bytecode and the Common Language Runtime (CLR) for CIL. The document provides details on the structure and purpose of bytecode, CIL, the JVM, and CLR.