Java for the Webmaster: All Gain No Pain
by Scott Clark
With the recent proliferation of Java on the Web, many developers have considered the use of Java on their Web site.
With the recent proliferation of Java on the Web, many developers have considered the use of Java on their Web site. Java has been discussed in all of the leading technology magazines, on television, and of course, online to the point where some users expect to see applets on every site. There are now hundreds of sites that are totally devoted to Java, including Gamalan, JavaWorld, IBM's jCentral, Sun's JavaSoft, and of course, the Java Boutique.
Java is a programming language, similar to other languages such as C or C++, which can be used to develop applications. These applications can be used as they were originally designed, to work in consumer electronic devices such as toasters or VCRs. Back then, Java was called "Oak."
Java can now be used directly on any standard computer, provided that the user has what's called the Java "Virtual Machine" installed on their computer. The Java Virtual Machine, or JVM, is a part of Sun Microsystems' Java Development Kit. Eventually, the Web browser vendors built this same or similar Java functionality into their browsers. We won't get into the browser wars and their incompatibilities…suffice it to say that MOST applets work with either browser's JVM, at least for now.
As I said, these "mini-applications" that are written in Java--known by most as Java applets--can now be viewed using any Java-enhanced Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Used in this fashion, applets can be placed on your Web page and downloaded to your visitor's machines when they request that page, at which point the applet or applets will be executed and displayed in the visitor's Web browser. Since Java has many built-in security features, running Java applets on your machine is still a relatively safe thing to do.
As a side note, some of you may have heard the announcement that the first Java virus was released on the public last month. The "Java virus" is actually more of a threat to Java programmers, not end-users of Java applets, and should not be a reason to withhold the use of Java on your site.
As we've seen, almost everyone knows what Java is, but many folks are still confused when it comes to actually using Java applets on their site. Some assume that you must know how to program in Java, while others believe that you need special server software or need to set up specific extensions or MIME types on your Web server in order to serve a Java applet. The truth is that most of the time, nothing could be simpler than adding an applet to your site.
In this article we're going to show you some examples of how applets can be used, guide you through the placement of an applet on a Web page, and discuss the pros and cons of using Java.
NEXT
This article first appeared in October, 1998
New on the Java Boutique:
New Review:
Time Management Made Easy with the Quartz Enterprise Job Scheduler
Why not just use the Java timer API? This open source scheduling
API boasts simplicity, ease-of-integration, a well-rounded feature
set, and it's free!
New Applet:
Reverse Complement
Reverse Complement is a simple applet that converts DNA or RNA
sequences into three useful formats.
Elsewhere on internet.com:
WebDeveloper Java
Lots of Java information on webdeveloper.com
WDVL Java
Thorough Java resource at the Web Developer's Virtual Library.
ScriptSearch Java
Hundreds of free Java code files to download.
jGuru: Your View of the Java Universe
Customizable portal with online training, FAQs, regular news updates, and tutorials.
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