Java is one of the hyped-up Internet software technologies that have spawned the World Wide Web, awful

words like "intranet", and those strange-looking addresses on business cards and TV commercials. Originally

known as a way to jazz up Web pages with graphic animations -- stock tickers that crawl across your screen,

for example, and dancing icons -- Java has quickly evolved into a whole lot more. To Microsoft\'\'s dismay, it

is fast becoming what is known as a computing platform -- a sturdy base upon which programmers can build

software applications.

　 Java is making possible the rapid development of versatile programs for communicating and collaborating

on the Internet. We\'\'re not just talking word processors and spreadsheets here, but also applications to

handle sales, customer service, accounting, databases, and human resources -- the meat and potatoes of

corporate computing. Java is also making possible a controversial new class of cheap machines called network

computers, or NCs, which Sun, IBM, Oracle, Apple, and others hope will proliferate in corporations and our

homes.

　 The way Java works is simple. Unlike ordinary software applications, which take up megabytes on the hard

disk of your PC, Java applications, or "applets", are little programs that reside on the network in

centralized servers. The network delivers them to your machine only when you need them; because the applets

are so much smaller than conventional programs, they don\'\'t take forever to download.

　 Say you want to check out the sales results from the Southwest region. You\'\'ll use your Internet browser

to find the corporate intranet Website that dishes up financial data and, with a mouse click or two, ask for

the numbers. The server will zap you not only the data, but also the sales-analysis applet you need to

display it. The numbers will pop up on your screen in a Java spreadsheet, so you can noodle around with them

immediately rather than hassle with importing them to your own spreadsheet program.

　 To graph the numbers, you\'\'ll call in a charting applet that will let you print out your report nice and

pretty, all without leaving your browser. And you\'\'ll always get the latest, greatest version of the applets

too: Since the software is stored in only one place, corporate technicians can keep it up to data more

easily.

　 The real beauty of the Java language, however, is its power to save users money, because it vastly

simplifies creating and deploying applications and because it lets them keep their existing "legacy"

computers and software. Java programs, once written, can run without modification on just about any kind of

computer: a PC, a Macintosh, a UNIX workstation -- heck, even a mainframe. The underlying operating system

makes no difference. Java actually can breathe new life into older specialized computers that were at risk

of becoming obsolete.

　 In scarcely a year, Java has evolved into a major challenger to Microsoft\'\'s Windows family of PC

operating systems -- faster even than DOS and Windows rose to challenge traditional mainframes and

minicomputers. Java is also well on its way to becoming the most important Internet software standard,

catapulting Sun past Netscape and Microsoft as the leader in Internet computing.

何谓Java?(2)

　　 Java是灸手可热的Internet软件技术中的一种，而这些技术孕育了World Wide Web、"内部网"一类令人生畏的词儿以及名片

上和电视广告中那些怪模怪样的地址。最初，它是以一种利用图形动画来活跃Web页面的一种方法闻名，例如，股票报价从屏幕上慢

慢移动和跳跃的图标，Java很快全面介入。令微软公司惊愕的是，它很快成了一种被称作计算平台的东西--一个能让程序员开发应用

软件的坚实基础。

　　 Java正在使快速开发Internet上通信与协同工作的通用程序成为可能。这里，我们不仅是谈论字处理、电子数据表，而且是能

够处理销售、客户服务、记帐、数据库和人事资源管理的应用程序--它们是公司计算的基础。Java也使争论中的一类新的称之为网络

计算机（即PC）的便宜计算机成为可能，SUN、IBM、Oracle、Apple和其它公司希望这种计算机将在公司和家庭中普及开来。

　　 Java工作的方法简单。与那些要占用PC机硬盘多兆字节的普通应用软件不一样，Java应用程序，即小应用程序，是很小的程序

，它常驻在网络中集中式的服务器上。只有当你需要这种应用程序时，网络才把它们送到你的机器上；由于小应用程序比常规程序小

得多，故下载不需很多时间。

　　 比方说，你要检查一下西南地区的销售结果。利用Internet浏览器找到能提交财务数据的公司内部网Web点，再用鼠标器点击

一下或两下，便可调这些数字。服务器将不仅快速给你数据，而且给出显示它所需的销售分析小应用程序。这些数字在Java数据表中

将浮现到你的屏幕上，因而你能即兴地使用它们，而不是麻烦地把它们调入你自己的数据表程序中。

　　 为用图形表示这些数字，你可以调入作图表的小应用程序，让你漂漂亮亮地打印出报表来，而所有这些不必离开浏览器。你也

能得到最新最好的小应用于程序版本：因为这种软件只存储在一个地方，公司的技术人员可较容易地使其保持最新。

　　 然而，Java语言的真正优点是具有让用户省钱和省力，因为它大大简化了应用程序的开发与部署使用，而且让它们保留已有

的"传统"计算机和软件。Java程序一旦写好了，就能在任何一种计算机（PC机、Macintosh机、Unix工作站甚至是大型机）上无须

修改就能运行。基本的操作系统是没有差别的。Java实际上给予了那些较旧的专用计算机（有变成废品风险的产品）新的生命。

　　 在不到一年的时间内，Java已成了微软的PC操作系统Windows系列的主要挑战者，比DOS和Windows挑战传统的大型机和小型机

的速度还要快。Java也在成为最重要的Internet软件标准的道路上迅跑，使Sun超过Netscape和微软成为Internet计算的领袖。

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