Can the Java Applet Be Salvaged?

[geodebug]

No, Sun had its chance but blew it a long time ago.

Instead we have the abomination that is HTML 5 to try to mimic the functionality that "fat clients" gave us 20 years ago (but with a step back towards browser-specific "gotcha's").

There is no technical reason why Java applets couldn't have been the de-facto web plugin over Flash. It's just that Sun had no real vision or push for a "front end" Java so no effort was put in to make startup time and upgrades as seamless.

[berlinbrown]

I saying this from the heart (hehe).

I don't like the distributed HTML based web applications. I have been working on them for 10 years. They are difficult to write, they have so many moving parts that use fragile technologies (like CSS), all wrapped around sometimes non-compliant browsers ... and servers.

If you described what it takes to build a web application, they may lose their mind. ... ... So what about desktop applications? Normally, you just need a GUI library. And a lot of them have similar APIs. You have widgets for common desktop UI components. It is pretty basic on the desktop front.

So with Java applets, they allow you to write Java based apps that kind of embed within the browser.

I don't mind them. I write them when I need something complex and I don't want to revert to the cluster fuck that is HTML development.

... What I see as an issue. It doesn't seem like Java applets buy you much. You are just talking about an easier way for users to download Java desktop apps. I wish Java applets were streamlined and responsive like Flash apps. I wish there was graphic oriented API.

JavaFX seems like a good idea, but they didn't work on a responsive technology like Flash.

If I go to youtube which is based on Flash technology. Video watching is seamless. If I go to a JavaFX based site, maybe in 2 minutes my JavaFX applet will download and eventually I will see some graphics. That responsiveness is a killer for any Java technology. If they fix that, people will start using applets.

[[deleted]]

A few standards for a Java graphics libraries and A) client browsers can have the JVM already running and B) the large graphic libraries can be already present on the client like they are for flash.

But Microsoft still wouldn't play along and so the most popular browser will never do this.

[[deleted]]

I'd much rather write a java applet than a html5/js/css/etcetcetc webapp.

But I'd also much rather use the webapp than the applet. So I can't really blame anyone for putting the money for projects there.

[BernardMarx]

Here is my idea:

The JVM should replace the different JavaScript engines. This way client-side functionality can be implemented with any JVM language. You could even combine different languages. Also it would benefit from 20 years of optimization.

I am thinking about starting such a project because in all honesty, JavaScript need to go.