Java’s speed, capabilities change future of Internet

Since its public birth in May 1995, Java has taken the computer and business industries by storm, creating exciting options for business owners and consumers alike.In the process, Java has changed the face of the Internet and grown into a major player in the field.
“Java is still in its infancy, but it’s becoming a big-league deal,´ said Roger May, part-owner of Netplus, an Internet service provider based in Fort Collins. “It will be competing with Microsoft.”
Created by Sun Microsystems Inc., Java is a computer language chock full of plusses. It’s faster than other languages, and it’s a generic program that can run at host or locally. One of its crown jewels is that it can run on a personal computer, Unix, or Macintosh system.
“The sweetheart deal is that it works on all platforms,” May said.
Mike Yoder, president of MCR Co., a small-business networking company based in Fort Collins, agrees.
“If someone makes a neat program, they can use it on any operating system. It’s a plus for the programmer and everyone who uses it,” Yoder said.
Most people encounter Java as applets, the flashy home pages they see on the World Wide Web. They are colorful and often animated, with surprising detail and clarity. After all, your home page is your “business card” on the Web, and so far businesses have been going all out to attract consumers’ attention.
“For most businesses, Java’s a tool they use to ensure their product has a hook,” May said. Once interested in an interactive applet, businesses are not only hoping consumers will take extra time to browse their Web site and learn the benefits of their products, but they’re also investing large sums of money creating their applets to make sure that they do.
Although the animated applets only came into being about seven months ago, consumers have already been wowed with their capabilities. Time-saving is one of the biggest benefits Java offers both consumers and businesses alike. It allows for online modifications of orders, which means ease and speed in business transactions. Java also offers consumers the option to test products right on the Web.
“You can take a virtual walk through a product, such as a car,” Mays said.
Also through the applet, you can interactively choose options, such as car colors, and see your choice of product without leaving your seat.
May, who deals with businesses that help businesses with Java, said he hasn’t seen much of an increase in demand for Java in Northern Colorado.
“Most businesses don’t know about Java,” May said. Most likely, they’ll be catching up. “Barnes and Nobles now has about two full shelves of books on Java,” he said.
In addition to buying a book, businesses can also access companies such as NetPlus to help get established with Java, or to create their own Web site and Java applet. If you’re a Java programmer, you can download the Java Developer’s Kit binary from Sun Microsystem’s Web site, http://java.sun.com free of charge.
Java programming courses are available from Sun Microsystems at various sites. Visit http:www.sun.com.sunservice/suned/ for details. Some companies and individuals are also offering local courses on Java periodically.
“Anyone who uses Java and can teach it will make a slew,” May said.
Some businesses using Java applets for their home pages have entered the realm of entertainment.
“The key point in most Web sites is to communicate information effectively,´ said Kai Stevens of Terra Firma Design in Fort Collins. “Everyone wants to test, tease, try and create a multitude of fantastic events on their Web sites that are in fact incredible, but for the most part less than essential, educational, or professional.”
JARS, the Java Applet Rating Service, rates each applet on the World Wide Web with an independent panel of judges. You can browse the Web and check out the top 1 percent of Web applets, which are judged according to presentation, usefulness, originality and programming.
While the general public may have seen only the entertainment value of Java so far, real change is on the horizon. Some examples of current projects in development include:
n Technology that will allow commercial customers of certain global shipping firms to track their own shipments.
n Java devices that will allow health-care providers to submit claims electronically.
n Java applications being created by a large travel service to provide paperless ticket processing to the airline industry.
“When everything settles down a bit, Java will be an elegant means of creating very sophisticated, very powerful Web sites that do in fact aid in sales, marketing, entertainment, and best of all, interactive education,” Stevens said.
School systems will no longer be required to buy software via the mail or have local copies, predicts Stevens. Most likely, the daily routines of teachers will involve opening a connection via the satellite downlink and projecting the days’ lessons on the wall from a projection TV/computer assembly or holograph, direct from the Web, Stevens said.
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