Java, an object-oriented programming language, was not widely recognized at the time of its initial development in 1991. It wasn't until 1994, when Sun Microsystems released a Web browser created with Java that its notoriety became more universal. Java "applets" are created using the Java language. Applets are small, self-contained programs which run on your computer using a web browser as an interface. These applets are often animated, interactive, educational, and informative. The Java language can, moreover, be used to create programs just as other computer languages do.

The following example of an applet, together with several others throughout the ComputerQuest site, offer a simple, direct, and visual example of the impact of the Java engine at work:

Java is a dynamic, programming language that is somewhat similar to the programming language. C++. It was designed to be compact, relatively simple in design, and compatible with many operating systems. The wide appeal of Java on the Web is its rapid facilitation in creating dynamic applets and applications (the latter usually run and accessed from servers), as well as its portability across platforms.

In addition to Java applets and applications, there is a third, and very important, flavor of Java called JavaScript: While bearing some similarities to Java (and to C++), it is closer in design to Visual Basic (VB) script. Whereas Netsape originally developed Javascript, Microsoft displays its own unique "brand" of JS known as JScript. JavaScripts are not compiled into byte code like Java is, but become integrated directly into the HTML coding of the web page. Typically, Javascripts are simpler to create than Java applets and applications, and are quite easy to deploy. They perform a wide variety of useful functions ranging from the very simple, eg, opening and controlling new browser windows, to the more sophisticated, eg, an e-commerce shopping cart. Together with HTML code and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), Javascript is currently one of the mainstays of today's corporate and professional website. This page alone has several scripts embedded: one which controls display depending on whether the page is accessed from IE or Netscape, and another which provides "mouse-over" effects in the navigation area at the footer of this page.

Javascript does, however, have its potential for use as a hacking tool, since browsers will carry out routines pecificed in the embedded script, sometimes quite invisibly. Fortunately, this is a rare event, and users have the ability to control the implementation of Javascripting by altering "security" settings in their individual browsers.

Another category of Java is the so-called "Java Bean": the "bean" being a reusable, interchangeable software component that can be "ported" from application to application. This can take the form of a task bar, a slider component, or even a scrollbar, for example. These beans can then be inserted readily into Java-programmed applications.

While Java is just barely over 12 years old, developers world-wide are actively creating thousands of Java-based applets, scripts, and programs which are continuing to revolutionize the face and the power of the internet.