what is java used for?

[proff.hacker]

I know that visual basic, visual c++ and delphi can be used to build software and progams. also, java is used when creating applets which will never be sold.

can any one explain to me what's java used for ??

[crptcblade]

Java can be used to make desktop applications, they are usually very slow though, since Java is doing all the control painting. The main things Java is used for these days (I'm pretty sure) is applets, and servlet and JSP web pages.

[Dillinger4]

Java's strong points are in networking and being able to run on multi-platforms. Java also has strong support for security and cryptography thanks to add on extensions like the JCE which give the programmer access to multiple cryptography algorithms to work with.

[proff.hacker]

but i haven't seen any used applications in the life ???!!!

[Ahriman]

The only thing slow about java is the swing API on old computers. If its not fast enough for you, use SWT instead. Java has beaten C++ in certain benchmarks and it takes much less time to develop a java application than a C++ application. Java knows exactly which processor it is running on so it can take advantage of chip optimizations. Other languages can't do that (maybe .NET but even so, it would only do it for x86 hardware). ThinkFree Office (thinkfree.com) and Star Office are writen in java. I think portions of Netscape/Mozilla 6 are written in java.

One major advantage java has is Java Web Start. It lets you launch applications from a web page by clicking a link. With web start, upgrading and installing software can be accomplished by simply clicking a link on a web page. Web Start handles the rest. You wouldn't believe how many people can't figure out how to upgrade and/or install software.

If you want to know more about java, check out the faq i wrote, its posted somewhere on this bbs. Or, go to java.sun.com

[agopin.com]

Does anyone have a serial # of the VB converter to Java applets?
Or another similar converter, I intend to migrate my educational
resourses for vb to java, in order to let it free on the web:

www.agopin.com

[email protected]

Thanks!

[ccoder]

Originally posted by proff.hacker
... java is used when creating applets which will never be sold.

Not true!

I purchased EasyCharts, a charting applet, from ObjectPlanet last year to use in a web page.

[marnitzg]

Installed drivers for a Trident video card that was written in java. That was a while back already

[Dillinger4]

Posted by marnitzg
Installed drivers for a Trident video card that was written in java. That was a while back already.

Just curious. How are drivers written in java? I thought that drivers were primarly written in some sort of low level language such as assembly.

[marnitzg]

No idea, I just remember my display crashing, and when checking the memory dump, it said java exception error etc. I suppose java is low level enough to handle simple video drivers, then all you need is a JIT compiler

[CaptainPinko]

java can deal w/ low level commands through native classes that ARE written in asm\c\c++. the higher level tasks are written in java and then when it needs to do something more low-level it callls the native methods. there is plenty on the sun site and on this forum posted about native classes\methods.

[Dillinger4]

Kind of pointless to use java for that kind of stuff. You would have to inline assembly with C++ then use java. I would love if java was adapted to inline assembly.

[billrogers]

i agree it is pointless for java to used for drivers, drivers are tied in way to much with the hardware they are running with. Java cant get the power of c/c++, if it could it would be machine independent any more.

[CaptainPinko]

Originally posted by billrogers
i agree it is pointless for java to used for drivers, drivers are tied in way to much with the hardware they are running with. Java cant get the power of c/c++, if it could it would be machine independent any more.

well you could write a java driver if you split the driver into two parts. you would obviously have the platform dependent portion, but then you could create a java front end, so that you must pass through the front end to access the gfx card, for example (if i remember correctly ...) 3d crads work by drawing the triangular polygons, i believe every card works this way, so to draw a polygon just send the data to the java front end, which would then just reinterpret it for the specifc card. different gfx card capabilites could be handled by the different interfaces the the front end implements. the basic commands would be common to all cards (an abastract class most likely). then there would be infteraces for fancy stuff. the basics would be handed by the abstract class, if you wanted to dtrwa fog or something then you would have to check whether the card can handle it w/ the instanceOf operator. this way you could write a 3d shooter that was platform independent (gfx drivers are always platform dependent so its no different than written it in native language this respect). as far is understand the jvm lets most commands pass directly to the processor, except for i/o requests, for which it pays DEARLy in cycles... thus most of the data processing is handled at near native speeds BUT the i/o IS native so you get platform independent gaming that runs at nearly native speeds.... this could really speed out the rate at which games are ported and would allow gamers them selves to port the games that they buy!


i'm REALLY interested in any comments/criticisms any of you have. i tihnk this could be a real interesting discussion...

[CaptainPinko]

come on ppl... i'm sure SOMEONE has a comment or something...

[billrogers]

I still disagree. A driver is written for one thing purely and that is the maximum speed possible. Hitting any java code is just unacceptable in any production driver. I am not saying that part of a driver could not be written in java I am just saying it should never be done. If I am buying a 3d card which cost an arm and a leg anyways and becomes outdated within 2 months, I dont want my fps's to be slowed down because I have a java driver. Game development is not slowed down by the driver interface. It is slowed down for other reasons. With the introduction of Direct3D and OpenGL communiction with the NIC's, Sound, and Graphics cards has been very helpful. Games run into problems with timing issues, and numerous other nuisances in the drivers and hardware on the cards, and most times it is the applications fault.

[CaptainPinko]

no, i'm still saying that the driver in in c++ ot some other native, but that the interface to the driver is in java, the part the tells it what to draw (a box for example) but not HOW to draw it, leave that to the native code

[billrogers]

but that has nothing to do with the driver. Then you are talking about a couple things, the game's engine or the api calls it could possibly use. Both could be written in java but I doubt you will find any that are. OpenGl and Direct3D are all C.

I personally would not want to be writing a 3d first person shooter with java has my game engine language, it is still too slow for that.