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Contents:
What is the Java Platform?
Why It's Important
What It Means to You
How It Makes Computing Easier
How It Works
Java Technology In Your Future

What is the Java^TM Platform?
Here's the quick guide

The Java^TM platform is a fundamentally new way of computing, based on the power of networks and the idea that the same software should run on many different kinds of computers, consumer gadgets, and other devices.

With Java^TM technology, you can use the same application from any kind of machine -- a PC, a Macintosh computer, a network computer, or even new technologies like Internet screen phones.

It Works Everywhere

The idea is simple: Java technology-based software works just about everywhere -- from the smallest devices to supercomputers. Java technology components don't care what kind of computer, phone, TV, or operating system they run on. They just work, on any kind of compatible device that supports the Java platform.

Java technology is widely regarded as revolutionary, because it was designed to let computers and devices communicate with one another much more easily than ever before.

How Do You Get the Java Platform?

If you're reading this in a Web browser on a personal computer or workstation, you've probably already got the Java platform. It's incorporated into all major Web browsers.

And soon the Java platform will be built into next-generation telephones, TV set-top boxes, smart cards that fit in your wallet, and many other consumer and business devices.

Want to See Some Java technology-based software?

Here's a live, interactive applet written in the Java programming language. Click, hold, and drag your mouse over the image to rotate the molecule.
[Credit: Cherwell Scientific]

Perhaps the most visible examples of Java technology-based software today are on the Internet and on enterprise networks. They're nimble, interactive programs called "applets." As in the example on the right, applets work inside Web browsers on computers and other devices.

And there are other kinds of Java technology-based software: programs written in the Java programming language can run directly on your computer (without requiring a browser), or on servers, on large mainframe computers, or other devices.

For example, Java technology-based software running on servers in large companies monitors transactions and ties together data from existing computer systems. Other companies are using Java technology-based software on their internal web sites to streamline communication and the flow of information between departments, suppliers and customers.