Java is Hot!
Why use Java? It's cross platform, free, and provides an intregrated package with many features. A lot of people provide input towards Java's direction and development so it serves a wide cross-section of needs and ideas.
Java is very similar to C++, but is more tightly integrated with the GUI. A lot of workarounds are implemented by the two most popular visual C++ compilers and the GUI interface is very complicated and convoluted. They add "fixes" to the C++ language along with hundreds of compiler options - something which Java has managed to avoid.
Because Java is cross-platform, it will run on any operating system for which a Java Runtime Engine has been developed. This includes systems from Microsoft, Apple, and Linux. The market for any software is expanded just by choosing Java! The need to keep Java inter-operable means that a lot of thought is put into its development.
How Java Compares
A big advantage to Java is that it includes many features in the core downloads available from Sun. These features are a core part of the language. Previously with many languages, a programmer had to add modules from various vendors or write them by himself. There were always problems with inter-operability between the modules. Especially troublesome was upgrading to a new compiler version. The upgrade had to wait until each vendor had updated their respective modules.
Even though code is available from many vendors for Java, a lot is available with the core downloads. The fewer vendors involved in a piece of code, the easier it is to maintain.
Get Started With These Links
- The Official Java Site
- This is Sun's Java page.
- The Java Runtime Engine
- Get the latest Java Runtime Engine here. This download allows you to run Java programs and applets which run on a web page.
- The IDE and Java Development Kit
- This download provides an IDE for developing Java software. The Java Development Kit is also included - this contains the compiler and related tools. This IDE can also be used to develop C++ software.
- Beginner's Tutorials
- There are several tutorials here. The "Online Tutorial" may be all you need to get started.
What is Swing?
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To load files such as images from within the same JAR file holding the program, be sure to use forward slashes in the file path instead of back slashes. For example:
java.net.URL imgURL = Positioner.class.getResource ("images/arrow.gif");
