Java Applets的未来是什么样的？

Question

In the past, java applets were unreliable, due to the Microsoft/Sun JVM split. Flash took over, and Java applets became known for browser crashes and performance issues.

Now that the JVM is enjoying resurgence as a platform for dynamic languages like Clojure and Scala, what is the current and future outlook for the JVM for in-browser applets?

• Are browser vendors continuing to address stability and performance issues?
• How much market penetration does Java have?
• Given the JVM's resurgence, will applets also see any kind of resurgence as an alternative to Flash, or are they going to become obsolete entirely despite the JVM's success?

(Yes, HTML5 is the way forward for many, many things. It will continue to displace Flash and Java in the browser wherever it is most appropriate. That's not what this question is about.)

Answer 1

Flash turned out to achieve what Applets tried to, and has done very well so. Small initial download, programs starts fast and run inside a web page.

That said, the abilities to launch applets were enhanced with the Java 6 update 10 revamping of the JNLP specification of Java WebStart, but I have not given it a closer look (we use Java WebSTart extensively for applications, not applets), and I suspect others haven't either.

Answer 2

With JavaFX Sun has improved the Applet plug-in in term of stability and start-up time. The latest browsers support the new Java plug-in. It's now also easier to create it's own start-up screen with progress bar.

In term of deployment 60% of people have Java 6 installed ( riastats.com ), 93% have Flash 10 installed

In term of usage, my opinion is that users don't care the technology used. They care about about things like: does it work? does it look good? does it start-up fast? does it do something useful/fun? is the application easy to use?

Answer 3

Java applets are dead. The lack of broadband early on contributed mightily to it's early demise. The fact that the Windows JVM was locked to a 1.1 version for so long was the other nail.

Java webstart provides something far better - on demand delivery of Java apps, caching, and automatic updates, without any of the browser integration woes.

Applets are dead. XMLHttpRequest came along and fulfilled most of the reason people were using applets to begin with.

Answer 4

To put it simply, you reach a lot of people through mobile devices now, and you'll be reaching people through mobile devices more in the future. Mobile device OS makers don't want to support the JVM on their mobile devices, and I doubt Oracle will want to either.

Stick with the standards. HTML5 and Javascript is still the way to go if you want to make a web app.

JVM languages are definitely enjoying a resurgence, and I'd imagine they continue to grow in popularity, but they will not (and, AFAIK, are not) using them to write applets.

Applets aren't integrated into the system, they're not well supported, and they're nasty resource hogs. Keep the JVM on your server where you get the full benefit from the JIT and the rest of the power of the JVM.