Java PoliticsQuite simply, programmers who write in Java are turning away from operating system-specific programming. Microsoft has engaged itself in a war of containment to stop this. Control and distribution of the "virtual machine", the mechanism that insures platform independence, has been of great interest to Microsoft. With their XP operating system, Microsoft has intensified its campaign against Java by forcing people to download a bulky Java plugin instead of including this in the XP standard installation. This is in spite of the fact that Java is one of the most useful and heavily used Internet technologies. Microsoft has also tried to pollute Java code by introducing Windows-specific additions to the Java language. These non-standard "features" encouraged programmers to write "Java"-esque code that would not run under other operating systems. The courts ruled that this was illegal, because Sun Microsystems, the developer of the Java language, licensed the Java technology to Microsoft with the understanding that Microsoft's implementation would meet compatibility standards. But if Apple's early 80's "look and feel" lawsuit against Microsoft showed anything, it is the perilousness of relying on the courts. The purchase of Netscape by AOL does not bode well for Web content developers interested in platform independent languages, since AOL's neglect for browser development is quickly giving Internet Explorer the monopoly it needs to dictate Internet technologies. This power will almost certainly retard the development of alternative operating systems such as Linux.
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Java PluginA Java plugin is available from java.sun.com which may be available for your operating system. This plugin can be used within the newest Netscape browser (Version 6). The reason for producing a plugin is that, basically, the complexity of the Java "virtual machine" has become too great for the programmers at Netscape to write their own Java interpreter. Companies that specialize in this matter will now provide Java support for various platforms. By moving the Java functionality of your browser to a plugin (supplementary coded module), it is possible to update the Java plugin without waiting for a new browser release. However, this constitutes a sort of chore or responsibility for the browser user that didn't exist over the last few years. The large number of Java applets now in use on the World Wide Web are a compelling reason to install the plugin, but it is easy to see that this will not motivate everyone. The outcome of the Microsoft anti-trust case may have something to say about this issue. If the Java plugin were installed when the operating system is installed, the level of Java support across the Web would be significantly augmented.
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What is Java?Java was developed by Sun Microsystems. It is an object-oriented, interpreted, secure, robust language that was developed for use in computerized toasters and interactive television. It is somewhat coincidental that it has become an omnipresent Internet technology. Java's slogan, "write once, run anywhere" indicates that platform independent programming is one of its central aims. In practice, it has been slow to achieve this goal, in part because of the pace of industrial change in Internet technology, but also because of the resistance from operating system monopolist Microsoft Corporation.
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Enabling JavaJava functionality in your browser can be turned on and off. The methods for enabling Java differ from browser to browser.
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Java SecuritySome institutions, primarily corporate, disable or uninstall Java. This is done for security reasons, since security problems have been located in browsers in the past. But by comparison with other security problems, bugs in Java implementations are comparatively rare and seldom exploited. It is important to note that Java is a language that was designed to provide a secure programming infrastructure that protects users' interests. Unlike Microsoft's ActiveX legacy strategy, or the default policies of Microsoft's Outlook email software, security has been a primary concern in the design and implementation of Java.
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Alternatives to JavaMany of the things for which Java was initially used within the browser context can now be done with other technologies. However, there are concerns that should be considered when endorsing such alternatives. One of Java's virtues has been Sun's vision of cross-platform support. In other words, all common operating systems that have browsers also have Java support. It is significant that the millions of Linux system users are able to use Java applets, whereas popular formats like Shockwave Director can only be experienced with MacOS and Windows. In fact, comparing plugins like RealAudio and Shockwave Director to Java is a false comparison, because it is increasingly possible for the file formats used by those plugins to be interpreted and "played" by Java applets. Therefore, Java must be understood as a language conducive to flexibility and innovation, whereas other plugins are typically single-purposed and controlled by few companies. As for Microsoft's proposed C# programming language, it can not yet be seriously considered as an alternative to Java, because it is so far only a design specification. But it is important to emphasize that a movement toward C# is essentially intended to kill Java rather than to address the limits of present Java technology.
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Further Reading and Links
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