Java is a hot, new computer language from Sun Microsystems. It was designed for writing programs that can be embedded in web pages; the program is downloaded with the page, and is executed within a web browser. Java, in addition, can be used to write stand-alone programs.
Although Java is still very new, there is a great deal of intense development activity, and a number of useful Java applets are publicly available already.
What Can Java Do?
If you haven't done so already (e.g., when considering the WebEQ applet), you should first verify that the browser (and operating system) you are using will support Java applets.
If you did not see the spinning ball, then wait a little while to be sure it's not just a question of download delays (I picked the ball because it doesn't usually take very long to load, though I can point you to even smaller applets if needed...). If it really never appears, then you either need a newer browser (e.g., Netscape 3.0 or higher; I'm not sure of the various version numbers needed on other brower products...), or perhaps a newer operating system (e.g., Netscape Navigator 3.0 on a Windows 3.1 machine will not run Java; there may be other ones that do). To find a browser that will work, you may want to try the Java Repository. If you think you already have a new, big, and spiffy-enough setup that you should be able to run Java, then the only other thing I can suggest is that you prowl your browser's preference to see if there's any switch that will let you enable Java applets (only a handful of browsers offer that as an option).
If you have seen other applets run, or you did see the spinning ball in the test above, then you may want to check out some more Java examples to help you decide if you want to pursue this topic further:
Java Is Not Javascript
Java is an object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. Javascript is a different programming language, specifically from Netscape. They have a few things in common, besides just the Java in their names, but they are not directly comparable, and certainly not interchangeable. This section covers Java. This course will not address Javascript except to say that it's not Java.
Writing Your Own Java Applets
Writing your own applets means doing programming. If you happen to know some C or C++ then you'll be starting out a step ahead, but it's not a prerequisite. Just so you know, this section will not offer a full lesson on Java programming. It will offer relevant comments compiled as Geometry Center staff and visitors started out in this realm. It will provide lots of pointers to excellent resources that you can examine during this course, and beyond.
Getting Started
Here are the promised comments and suggestions, along with a few additional pointers:
... should you choose to accept it is, of course, to implement a Java applet on a web page, and link it into your course homepage. Feel free to make some minor modifications to one of the applets referenced in these notes or one you have found elsewhere (being careful of intellectual property concerns, of course), or to write one yourself from scratch...
Learning More
Here are more online resources:
There are also many print resources. Two particularly good ones are:
And, as with any "hot" topic, there are lots & lots of other resources available.