The Java Platform

A strategic advantage of Java is that it provides a portable platform for writing graphical applications. This can reduce the effort it takes to develop solutions for multiple platforms. A fundamental idea behind the Internet and the Web is platform neutrality, clients and servers can run on different operating systems and hardware. This enables servers to be optimized for platforms which best provide the services required, yet support clients on other platforms, as long as the standard protocols are observed.

The availability of Java on virtually all modern operating systems simplifies client application deployment. Nevertheless, installation is required, which is not standard on all platforms. Java applets bypass this problem, but are subject to restrictions which may make them impractical in many cases. For example, they cannot access the client's filesystem (sometimes a good thing!), and they can only communicate with the server from which they were loaded. They also depend on a server, so they cannot run stand-alone. In some cases, one can build a Web based applet and a full featured application from a common set of Java classes.

• Java at Sun
• JavaWorld
• The Jakarta Project
• Apache Tomcat (Jakarta)
• The Jazz Project

• C Programming
• The Web
• JavaScript
• Free Software
• ZZZ Solutions

If performance and robustness are more important than portability and ease of deployment, Java might not be the best choice. In spite of the considerable effort applied to the Java VM (Virtual Machine), Java applications do not perform as well as C applications. If reliability is a concern, as is generally the case for servers, Java is not the ideal choice.

When developing a Java solution, one must still be aware of cross platform issues. A classic example is the CLASSPATH variable, which is a list of paths separated by a delimiter. On Windows, this delimiter is a semi-colon (;), on Unix it is a colon (:).

File names and well known locations are often different in each operating environment. The application might link in some manner to other applications on the system. Perhaps it is asked to launch a browser or mail client. Not only would each operating system have different methods for launching applications, but the identity and location of the application to be launched would need to be determined as well. The Java facilities for managing properties and user preferences can be used to address differences in the operating environment, user choices, language, and other localizatons. Portability is achieved, but not without effort and careful consideration.