Learn to Use Java Applets
Sun Microsystems, the creator of Java, defines Java as "A simple, object-oriented, distributed, interpreted, robust, secure, architecture neutral, portable, high performance, multithreaded, and dynamic language."
Java allows you to create interactive Web content delivered through what are known as applets. Applets are essentially mini-applications embedded in Web pages. The possibilities of what you can create are almost endless. Some of the most common uses of applets are creating a graphical interface to a Web-site, scrolling news headlines or banners, and creating a custom front-end to a database.
While Java applets are permitted, use the same caution as you would with JavaScript: know your audience. Older versions of Navigator and Internet Explorer either support older versions of the JDK or don't support Java at all.
Learn more about Java at the following sites (NOTE: these links require
a GM Firewall ID and password):
java.sun.com | www.javaworld.com
| www.gamelan.com
A Brief History of Java:
Java is a programming language that was originally developed at Sun Microsystems (shepherded by James Gosling and Bill Joy) in 1991. The intent of Java was to provide a platform-independent programming language and operating system for consumer electronics (TV sets, toasters and VCRs).
As it so happened however, Java did not make it into the consumer electronics market. Instead it wound up in our web browsers. Java seemed to be a perfect fit for the Web. The language itself was extremely small (as it was built to fit inside toasters and alarm clocks with tiny amounts of memory). Thus, programs written in Java could quickly be transferred across the Web.
Further, Java was platform independent. That is, any computer with a Java virtual machine can run a Java program. Programs can be written anywhere and be run anywhere. This is crucial because if a language can not run on any machine, it cannot be used on the Web which must service every machine, language, and environment imaginable.
Platform independence works because Java is an interpreted rather than a compiled language. Unlike C or C++ code, when Java is compiled, it is not compiled into platform specific machine instructions, but into platform independent byte code. This byte code is distributed over the Web and interpreted by a Java virtual machine (typically built right into a web browser these days) on whichever platform it is being run.
To read the entire article go to the following link:
http://javaboutique.internet.com/articles/ITJ/part01/index.html
