Chapter 8: Writing Applications Using Java

Overview

Most people have heard about Java and many people have worked with it. Java appears on Web sites with some regularity because it lets Web designers create solutions that work with a number of browsers. Developers create Java applets for many Web-enabled applications as well as desktop applications. In short, Java appears in numerous places, so it's no wonder that you can use Java with Google Web Services too.

This chapter discusses techniques for using Java with Google Web Services. The examples show various strategies you can use to improve the user experience, while keeping the cost of development low. In general, you'll find many resources for using Java online. In addition, because Sun essentially owns Java, you'll find that it enjoys a level of support that most solutions can only dream about and openness not normally found with fully proprietary solutions.

However, using Java can become problematic in some cases. Java isn't fully proprietary, nor is it fully open . Consequently, some contention surrounds Java, and you need to consider the issues using Java can cause. (Read about these issues at http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/05/12/HNfowler_1.html.) This chapter doesn't examine these issues in detail, but it does provide enough information that you can learn more about the issues yourself and make a decision about the suitability of Java for your next application. As part of the Java overview, you'll also learn where you can find more information about the language. As with all other languages in the book, I assume you've already learned Java and performed the required software installation before you begin this chapter.

Note  

The examples in this chapter rely on the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) version 1.4.2 available at http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html. Older versions of the product might work, but you may need to modify the example code to exclude new features or functionality. In addition, I used the Windows platform for writing many of the applications and associated explanations . While the source code will work on any platform that supports the latest version of Java, you might need to modify some of the usage instructions slightly for other platforms.