Java

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Java

Java is the substance whose aroma is awakening the Internet community.

It is a new programming language developed by Sun Microsystems that has

much in common with the beverage that shares its name. It's good, it's

hot, and people know it around the world. Java (the programming language)

beats the other stuff hands down though, it's free. Many have heard of

Java, yet few know what it is, or what it can do. It certainly has the

potential to become a part of our everyday lives, existing in our mobile

phones, televisions, and Internet browsers. If you are interested in your

future read on.

Java is still in its infancy stage, yet to fulfil its intended

purpose. Designed in 1990 as an embedded language for consumer

electronics, it was later discovered to be an ideal interface to the

Internet. In 1996, Netscape added Java support to its popular Navigator

Web browser. The Web began to stir from its static text coma as excited

programmers began to incorporate Java applications, "applets", into their

Web pages.

An applet is like an application, but it doesn't run stand-alone.

An applet must adhere to a set of conventions that allows it to run within

a Java-compatible browser. The technology is still evolving, and today,

most Java applets are simple animations, or user interactions. The future

is brighter, promising full-blown applications over the Internet; imagine

using Microsoft Office from your television. For now, though, those who

have experienced an applet may be left disappointed. A casual user is

unlikely to be impressed with scrolling text, or simple animations,

especially if they must pay for them with increased download times.

Behind the scenes, unbeknownst to them, truly amazing things are

happening.

A Java applet begins its life by being "called" by a Web page. To be

technologically correct, the applet is embedded in the Web page. The Web

browser then downloads the applet and runs it on your machine. If you

just missed the amazing part: it runs on your machine. How can a program

from an unknown source be trusted to run on your computer without your

permission? It can't unless that program was created using a secure

language like Java, and then wrapped with a secure viewing browser like

Netscape Navigator. The concept of being able to run applications on your

system is significant for several reasons. If you want to see a picture,

but don't have a picture viewer, you can get both at once.

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