Description: A Java Applet is a small application that runs in a web browser, designed to be embedded in HTML pages. It uses the Java programming language and runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), allowing the same code to work across different platforms without modifications. Applets can interact with users through graphical interfaces, enabling them to provide dynamic and rich content experiences. Unlike traditional applications, applets are loaded and executed within the browser context, meaning they rely on the security and restrictions of the browser environment. This grants them unique features, such as the ability to access network resources, albeit with limitations to protect user security. Although their use has declined over time due to the evolution of web technologies like HTML5 and JavaScript, Java applets were a fundamental part of interactive web experiences in the 1990s and early 2000s, enabling the creation of games, animations, and interactive online applications.
History: Java applets were introduced by Sun Microsystems in 1995 as part of the Java platform. Their goal was to enable the creation of interactive web applications that could run on any operating system with the JVM installed. Over the years, applets became popular for creating multimedia content and online applications. However, with the advancement of technologies like Flash and later HTML5 and JavaScript, the use of applets began to decline. In 2015, Oracle announced that support for Java Applets would be discontinued, marking the end of an era for this technology.
Uses: Java applets were primarily used to create interactive web applications, online games, animations, and data visualization tools. Their ability to run on different platforms made them ideal for applications requiring a consistent runtime environment. However, their use has significantly declined due to security issues and lack of support in modern web environments.
Examples: A classic example of a Java applet is the card game ‘Solitaire’ that could be played in browsers in the 1990s. Another example is the use of applets for interactive graphics in educational applications, where users could manipulate variables and see results in real-time.
