GUIs and Web-Based Applications

If you want to create a GUI with Fortran you are out of luck. Fortran does not have that capability. Java, on the other hand, can be used to create sophisticated GUI front-ends for your engineering or scientific applications. The Java standard libraries have entire packages devoted to GUI classes and interfaces. You can also develop your own custom GUI components . With Java you can write a GUI front-end for your scientific or engineering application without having to learn or use another programming language.

Java also has the capability to create web-based client/server applications. Using Java's network programming capability, you can place your scientific or engineering application on a central server and any number of client machines can access the application via their web browsers. A brief introduction to Java servlets is provided in Chapter 27.