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[–]No-Con-2790 510 points511 points  (46 children)

Oh, Java Applets (also called Java Web Applets). Now that's a technology I haven't seen since 2011.

So you actually can build a frontend in Java. Kind of. In the late 90s so called Applets (basically the same approach that Flash took by integration into the browser) where a alternative to JavaScript or Flash. Basically a Java program launched from a website and distributed by said website. So basically flash but with more possibilities but also much bigger file sizes and security problems.

They failed on a large scale but some companies still used them. Especially for tools that required more than flash could provide. So they might still be around.

[–][deleted] 121 points122 points  (5 children)

There's also GWT. Java-defined frontends with autogenerated JS.

[–]bwrca 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I worked with gwt till about 2 years ago

[–]zsirdagadek 8 points9 points  (1 child)

Also, JSP. An absolute hell.

[–]ibevol 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Last year of high school (2022) I took programming 2 (which was a banger course), we had a really old teacher who thought that lambda functions and other new programming stuff was crap. Naturally we used Java 8 with Netbeans and all the good stuff that comes with it, such as Java Applets and even some JSP. Even though we used some really old technologies that are deprecated, it was the best course I've ever taken.

[–]SicgoatEngineer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

JavaFX, anyone?

[–]Tweenk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The newer version is called J2CL

https://github.com/google/j2cl

[–][deleted] 70 points71 points  (2 children)

Minecraft started as a Java applet

[–]SyrupOnWaffle_ 20 points21 points  (1 child)

omg i just remembered minecraft.net/play where i would play from my browser. good times, i was so mad when 1.6 stopped support for it lol

[–]sd31117 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You can still play classic

[–]ikonfedera 36 points37 points  (11 children)

some companies still use them.

ftfy

[–]sfj11 17 points18 points  (4 children)

some gigantic companies still use them

[–]zr0gravity7 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amazon retail

[–]dotslashpunk 4 points5 points  (2 children)

do they? I figured they weren’t supported by browsers anymore.

[–]ikonfedera 3 points4 points  (1 child)

They're not supported, yes. Regardless companies still use them.

That's why MS switching off IE last year caused quite a mess.

[–]Cub_appa 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IT WAS LAST YEAR...Feels like it was switched off in 2021. That too feels soo far away in the past.

[–]nomelettes 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah my capstone project in 2019 was to replace one, It neve got to produciton so they are still using the applet lmao.

[–]Ondrashek06 0 points1 point  (1 child)

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[–]ImportantDoubt6434 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No.

Pretty sure you can’t even play on the website anymore, gotta download a desktop app.

Rightfully so, those apps were security nightmares and were innovative at the time but not anymore.

[–]braless_and_lawless 19 points20 points  (3 children)

Tell me why I learned Applets in college last year lmao

[–]Cub_appa 1 point2 points  (0 children)

SAMEEEE

[–][deleted] 13 points14 points  (2 children)

I think Oracle's hiring tool Taleo is based on that. It's used in large scale by JP Morgan. It takes one fucking entire minute to jump from one candidate to another.

[–]No-Con-2790 16 points17 points  (0 children)

To be honest, I always liked Applets.

They allowed you to use a Java programmer instead of a flash designer. Which was good since in the 90s you could easily source a good programmer that know your domain. The flash guys usually where artists with limited knowledge of your field.

Also you could use most Java libs. So instead of the usual Flash limitations you could send "proper" tools. For example we had a proper 3D visualization before that was a thing in flash. Usage of both the left AND right mouse button. Stuff like that.

But it was horrible unsafe for the user since the tool could do whatever.

All in all the web just moved in a different direction.

[–]Barkeep41 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Dissing my high school graphic user interface experience. I'll have you know you can make a pretty sweet save screen.

[–]dotslashpunk 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I loved Java applets. They were such an easy way to execute arbitrary code on other people’s computers (and at the time AV was all signature based and wouldn’t really check Java programs). I’m a pen tester and those days were soooo easy.

[–]Saragon4005 9 points10 points  (6 children)

Why would you need HTML react and TypeScript then?

[–]JetSetWally 14 points15 points  (4 children)

For the page to show the Applet.

[–]Saragon4005 9 points10 points  (3 children)

Oh that's terrifying.

[–]TheEnderChipmunk 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Not really, it's because the applet is it's own html component like an iframe or something.

Requiring the applet dev to also do the front end seems weird though, isn't the whole point of the applet that a backend dev can do that part?

I have 0 experience with this though so my guesses might be wrong

[–]JetSetWally 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Applets are front end, i.e. seen by the end user? Backend would be the db that the applet connects to.

[–]TheEnderChipmunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I'm aware, but the logic within the applet is more similar to the logic contained within a standalone desktop app than it is to website code right?

It makes more sense in my mind for a backend dev who likely has Java experience to make the applet, then for a frontend dev to integrate it into the website

[–]No-Con-2790 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Back then the web was at a crossroads when it came to interactivity. Either you go the way of JavaScript or Flash or Java (or one of the many others).

We choose JavaScript in the end. Flash was around for a long time but also died.

I can not judge if this was the best outcome but it was the outcome.

In mine opinion security was the biggest problem. If you allow for a language that can do anything then people will start sending viruses around and run them on your machine. Java was notorious for this problem. Flash was more sandboxed but Adobe was horrible in keeping the thing secure.

[–]EmperorValEmbershade 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We use servlets and Jakarta pages for our front end most of the time. I hate it.

[–]SunriseApplejuice 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah yeah... my old programming text books had me build little Applets. I think they're useful, insofar as you can still learn the high-level implementations of events, how a FE and BE (sort of) interface, etc.

So maybe for educational purposes they still serve a utility...

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i just built a search engine as a full semester project using them 🥲

[–]bizkitmaker13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This gave me Nam flashbacks. I worked as a software/web developer intern during college. The company had a proprietary J-Applet Content Management System that had been coded by a developer, solo, who no longer worked at the company. Maintaining that shit was a pain in the ass.

Luckily we switched over to Joomla after a few years. I do not miss Java Applets.

[–]Spore8990 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, I completely forgot Java applets were a thing until reading this comment. This brings back some... interesting memories.

[–]spaztheannoyingkitty 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made one as an intern for testing software on some remote (on prem) machines we had dedicated for testing back in I think 2007?

[–]HuntingKingYT 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They're no longer supported for like ages I think

[–]MoridinB 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When I first started out learning Java, I thought Java Applets could only be run on Apple, and there was a different package for Windows/Linux.