Introduction Java

The Java™ programming language, developed at Sun Microsystems under the guidance of Net
luminaries James Gosling and Bill Joy, is designed to be a machine-independent programming
language that is both safe enough to traverse networks and powerful enough to replace native
executable code. Java addresses the issues raised here and may help us start building the kinds
of applications we want.Initially, most of the enthusiasm for Java centered around its capabilities for building embedded applications for the World Wide Web; these applications are called applets. Applets could be independent programs in themselves, or sophisticated frontends to programs running on a server.

More recently, interest has shifted to other areas. With Java 2, Java has the most sophisticated
toolkit for building graphical user interfaces; this development has allowed Java to become a
popular platform for developing traditional application software. Java has also become an
important platform for server-side applications, using the servlet interface, and for enterprise
applications using technologies like Enterprise JavaBeans™. And Java is the platform of choice
for modern distributed applications.

This book shows you how to use Java to accomplish real programming tasks, such as building networked applications and creating functional user interfaces. There's still a chapter devoted toapplets; they may become more important again when the Java 2 (and subsequent) versions ofthe Java platform are more widely distributed in web browsers.

(Modify@apocalipse from java book)