Recap on Java Basics

Java is an innovative programming language that has become the language of choice for programs that need to run-on a variety of different computer systems. First of all Java enables you to write small programs called applets. These are programs that you can embed in Internet web pages to provide some intelligence. Being able to embed executable code in a web page introduces a vast range of exciting possibilities. Instead of being a passive presentation of text and graphics, a web page can be interactive in any way that you want. You can include animations, games, interactive transaction processing – the possibilities are almost unlimited.

Of course, embedding program code in a web page creates special security requirements. As an Internet user accessing a page with embedded Java code, you need to be confident that it will not do anything that might interfere with the operation of your computer, or damage the data you have on your system. This implies that execution of the embedded code must be controlled in such a way that it will prevent accidental damage to your computer environment, as well as ensure that any Java code that was created with malicious intent is effectively inhibited. Java implicitly incorporates measures to minimize the possibility of such occurrences arising with a Java applet.

Java also allows you to write large-scale application programs that you can run unchanged on any computer with an operating system environment in which the language is supported. This applies to the majority of computers in use today. You can even write programs that will work both as ordinary applications and as applets.

Java has matured immensely in recent years, particularly with the introduction of Java 2. The breadth of function provided by the standard core Java has grown incredibly. Java provides you with comprehensive facilities for building application with an interactive GUI, extensive image processing and graphics programming facilities, as well as support for accessing relational databases and communicating with remote computers over a network. Release 1.4 of Java added a very important additional capability, the ability to read and write XML. Just about any kind of application can now be programmed effectively in Java, with the implicit plus of complete portability.