JAVA: A Brief History
The JAVA language was designed to slve the problems of creating a "smart" web page without using normal programming languages. The use of normal programming languages seems logical, but these languages were not designed to run on the Web. JAVA, however, contains built-in support for the Web, freeing the programmer from the burden of coming up with HTML solutions to common web problems. Java generates extremely small executables to facilitate faster loading over potentially slow communications lines. Java enforces tight security-a Java program cannot access anything to which the client computer does not specifically give it access. Java is machine independent. The same program can be executed on a PC, a Mac, or even a UNIX machine.
Java is object oriented. Its syntax encourages the programmer to generate modular, maintainable programs. Java is very similar to its predecessor, C++, but it is different in many fundamental ways. It is a very simplistic language, extremely useful for both the Web and other projects.
There are three main types of JAVA: applets, JAVA Script, and pure JAVA. Applets are usualy text messages scrolled across the bottom of the browser. JAVA Script is a form of JAVA in which the script is built into the HTML document. Pure JAVA, however, opens up a program written separately from the HTML document. Pure JAVA does many more complicated things than JAVA Script ever can. It can open up windows, pop up dialog boxes, or even run games.
