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Technology
Info, Tips, FAQs Java FAQs
Java is a computer language created by Sun Microsystems. It is used to create small programs called 'applets' (see below for defination of Java applets). Java applets can be incorporated into web pages, making them more interactive. In theory, applets are capable of doing anything that conventional small applications can do, but they perform their tasks right in your browser. The most serious limitation to what can be done with Java on the World Wide Web is the speed of the Internet (rather slow, as we all know). Currently, Java is used primarily as a means of adding multimedia content to Web pages -- things like sound, video, and scrolling text. What really distinguishes Java, however, is its potential to supply true interactivity to the web. If you're curious to discover some examples, you'll find an excellent collection of sample JavaScripts and Java applets at the Gamelan website -- the official directory for Java at this pinpoint URL: http://www.gamelan.com/
Unlike ordinary applications, which reside on the user's hard drive, a Java applet resides instead on a Web server. When a Web page containing a Java applet is viewed with a Java-compatible browser such as Netscape Navigator 3.x, Netscape Communicator 4.x, and Microsoft Internet Explorer, the applet's code is automatically downloaded to your computer and executed within the browser. This is different from simply being 'parsed' by the browser along with the HTML code, as in JavaScript. Java applets can work this way because they are so much smaller than conventional applications, and take little time to transfer across the phone lines that connect your computer to the server where the applet originates.
JavaScript is a scripting language created by Netscape Communications and Sun Microsystems. JavaScript is based loosely on Sun's Java programming language -- http://java.sun.com/. JavaScript is not an alternative to Java, but a complement to it. Since JavaScript can't be used to create applets, it's more limited than Java, but it has advantages as well. JavaScript is often faster to load, and easier to use for small tasks, such as generating moving text and performing simple calculations. At a technical level, JavaScript and Java actually share little beyond the similarity in their names. But since they often produce a similar result, for the typical user many of the differences are unimportant. One meaningful distinction is that scripts created with JavaScript are incorporated into the HTML code itself. The code of a Java applet is not, although Web content created with either tool will appear in your browser. Beyond this distinction, it's only important to remember that JavaScript and Java are not the same thing.
The truth is that at many sites there's still little if any content that is dependent on Java or JavaScript. If you disable them you're unlikely to notice a difference right away. But usage of Java and JavaScript is increasing rapidly, so unless you're having problems, you'll probably want to keep them enabled. If you're having difficulties that appear to be Java or JavaScript-related, you can simply try disabling one or both of them, and see how it goes. There's no harm in turning them off aside from the missing content. It will not always be apparent when you're missing something, but well-designed Web pages often provide notification of important Java or JavaScript content. By default, Java and JavaScript are enabled (turned on) in your Internet software. To disable (turn off) Java and/or JavaScript, do the following:
To enable Java and/or JavaScript, reverse the process described above.
JavaScript errors can be caused by many things. Like any computer language, JavaScript is only as effective as the person doing the coding makes it. Much of the time the only thing to be done is to inform the Webmaster of the site in question that something seems to be wrong. However, if you're getting JavaScript errors or unexpected quits, try letting the page completely load before complaining. Many JavaScript errors are caused when a user clicks somewhere on the page before it has completely loaded. No. Java is virus-proof. Unlike ordinary applications, Java applets can't alter data on your hard drive, therefore Java poses no risk of infection by computer viruses.
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