What can Java be used for?

[CyberCarsten]

Hi.
I will soon be studying computer science, and I have heard that they use a lot of java, and I would like to hear if it can be used to devlop other things than applets for web sites. Fx. windows programs and such....????

PS: Will JBuilder be a good program for developing Java apps. for Windows or is it strictly for web development?

[Dillinger4]

JBulider is fine. I prefer to use Eclipse. Some like to use JCreator or Forte. I guess it all depends on what one likes. Java can do stand alone apps as well as applets. Like any programming language Java has it's weak and strong points. Java was primarily developed with the network in mind, so it's mostly used to program servers and servlets. Database interaction is one of Javas strong points also via the JDBC.