Java and Threaded Containers

Java was developed as an object-oriented language especially suited to programming for the World Wide Web. It can be regarded as a kind of hybrid between C++ and Smalltalk. Syntactically, it resembles the former. Java is more similar to Smalltalk, however, in several semantic respects. It is interpreted rather than compiled into executable form. Its suitability as an open language for Web programming stems from the fact that source code is translated into an intermediate form, called bytecode, which can be interpreted on major platforms such as PCs, Macs, and Unix workstations. This enables code residing on a server to be sent to a client for interpretation. This means that users can transparently run applications, called applets, that were developed at some other remote site.