Why Java Is Important to the Internet

The Internet helped catapult Java to the forefront of programming, and Java, in turn,
has had a profound effect on the Internet. The reason for this is quite simple: Java
expands the universe of objects that can move about freely in cyberspace. In a network,
two very broad categories of objects are transmitted between the server and your
personal computer: passive information and dynamic, active programs. For example,when you read your e-mail, you are viewing passive data. Even when you download a
program, the program’s code is still only passive data until you execute it. However, a
second type of object can be transmitted to your computer: a dynamic, self-executing
program. Such a program is an active agent on the client computer, yet is initiated by
the server. For example, a program might be provided by the server to display properly
the data that the server is sending.
As desirable as dynamic, networked programs are, they also present serious
problems in the areas of security and portability. Prior to Java, cyberspace was
effectively closed to half the entities that now live there. As you will see, Java addresses
those concerns and, by doing so, has opened the door to an exciting new form of
program: the applet.

Java Applets and Applications
Java can be used to create two types of programs: applications and applets. An
application is a program that runs on your computer, under the operating system of that
computer. That is, an application created by Java is more or less like one created using C
or C++. When used to create applications, Java is not much different from any other
computer language. Rather, it is Java’s ability to create applets that makes it important.
An applet is an application designed to be transmitted over the Internet and executed by
a Java-compatible Web browser. An applet is actually a tiny Java program, dynamically
downloaded across the network, just like an image, sound file, or video clip. The
important difference is that an applet is an intelligent program, not just an animation or
media file. In other words, an applet is a program that can react to user input and
dynamically change—not just run the same animation or sound over and over.
As exciting as applets are, they would be nothing more than wishful thinking if
Java were not able to address the two fundamental problems associated with them:
security and portability. Before continuing, let’s define what these two terms mean
relative to the Internet.

Security
As you are likely aware, every time that you download a “normal” program, you
are risking a viral infection. Prior to Java, most users did not download executable
programs frequently, and those who did scanned them for viruses prior to execution.
Even so, most users still worried about the possibility of infecting their systems with
a virus. In addition to viruses, another type of malicious program exists that must be
guarded against. This type of program can gather private information, such as credit
card numbers, bank account balances, and passwords, by searching the contents of
your computer’s local file system. Java answers both of these concerns by providing
a “firewall” between a networked application and your computer.
When you use a Java-compatible Web browser, you can safely download Java
applets without fear of viral infection or malicious intent. Java achieves this protection
by confining a Java program to the Java execution environment and not allowing it access to other parts of the computer. (You will see how this is accomplished shortly.)
The ability to download applets with confidence that no harm will be done and that
no security will be breached is considered by many to be the single most important
aspect of Java.

Portability
As discussed earlier, many types of computers and operating systems are in use
throughout the world—and many are connected to the Internet. For programs to
be dynamically downloaded to all the various types of platforms connected to the
Internet, some means of generating portable executable code is needed. As you will
soon see, the same mechanism that helps ensure security also helps create portability.
Indeed, Java’s solution to these two problems is both elegant and efficient.