- 1. Who are you?
- I work in the Advanced Development group at
Marimba, Inc.. These applets are
mostly leftovers from my college days at Brown, which ended a few months
ago. Other things may appear if I have time.
- 2. I've downloaded the install file. How do I use the applet?
- Unzip the file someplace. If you open the file called
"index.html" in a web browser which supports Java, the
applet should just run! That's all there is to it. You don't need to
be online for this to work. You'll also get the
source and a copy of this faq.
- 3. Can I copy your code? Distribute it? Modify it?
- There are no restrictions whatsoever on my code. Feel free
to copy it, modify it, and distribute it however you see fit. You can
even take my name off and write in your own. This code is free for the
taking. No, you don't have to mail me for permission. Just do it.
- 4. How do I put your applet on my own web page?
- The install zip file contains everything you need. Copy ALL
the contents to wherever you want to use the applet, keeping the
directory structure intact. You don't actually need the
"src"
directory or the html files, but make sure the applet works before
you delete them.
First, test the applet by pointing your browser at the
"index.html" file you just installed into your web
space. The applet should load.
Now, copy the section of the index.html file that looks like this:
<APPLET CODEBASE=...
CODE=...
ARCHIVE=...
WIDTH=... HEIGHT=...>
<PARAM NAME="CABBASE" VALUE="...">
</APPLET>
into the page you want to contain the applet. If you copied the files
to the right place and copied the APPLET tag correctly,
the applet should appear on your page!
- 5. What does it mean to "install" an applet?
- Applets are great, but they need to be downloaded each time you
want to run one. This slows things down a lot. By saving the applet on
your own hard drive you can run it whenever you want, instantly. It
will no longer be necessary to go to the web site and wait while it
downloads. Instead, you can just run it from your own machine. That's
what "installing" means.
- 6. Can your applet erase my hard drive or steal my files?
- Installed applets should be just as secure as remote applets,
unless you set things up differently. They shouldn't be able to erase
your hard drive or steal your files.
Of course, there are never any certainties with security. Be careful.
- 7. What software do I need to use an installed applet?
- You run an installed applet the same way you run one on a web
server - by opening up a web page. If you have a web browser that
supports Java applets, (such as Netscape Navigator) you can run
an installed applet. See question 2.
You will also need a utility to unzip files, such as WinZip.
- 8. What is contained in each install zip file?
- Each install zip file contains the web pages, java source,
compiled java classes, and other resources used by the applet. This
faq is included as well. You don't actually need the source in order
to run the applet, only the compiled zip files.
- 9. Why are there other zip files within the install file?
- When an applet is downloaded from a web server, each of its
classes needs to be downloaded as well. If these files are downloaded
one at a time it can put a lot of strain on a web server. Imagine if
20 people are viewing an applet with 20 classes at the same
time. That's 400 downloads!
The ".zip" and ".cab" files contained within the install file are
archives containing all of the compiled Java classes. When the applet
is installed on a web server, these archives are downloaded instead of
each of the classes to put less strain on the server. If you are
running an applet locally you don't need these.
- 10. Do I need to know anything about Java in order to use the applet?
- Nope. Absolutely nothing. If you can run an applet inside a web
browser, you can run an applet that's installed locally. See question 2.
- 11. What's the best way to start learning Java?
- There are dozens of books out there now to help people learn
Java. Buy one and work your way through it. Here are a couple of links that I
use every day:
- JavaSoft - you'll
need Sun's development kit
- Gamelan - lots of
Java applets
- Marimba - my company,
maker of Bongo and Castanet. Before you learn AWT, try Bongo. It's a
huge improvement.
Good luck!
- 12. What is a Java package? Why don't you use them?
- A Java package is a way to organize several classes into a single
unit. For example, all of the GUI parts in Java are members of a
package called "java.awt". They are a very convenient way to keep things neat, tidy, and organized.
When I used to distribute my applets with packages, people had a lot
of trouble figuring out exactly which directories to put them in and
how to compile them. It wasn't worth the bother, so none of my free
code uses packages anymore. Of course, I still use them for other
code!
For more information, check out the Java Package
Tutorial,
- 13. Your applet doesn't work in my browser. What should I do?
- I don't have the time or willpower to test my applets on all
platforms. In particular, Java on the Mac seems to be very buggy at
this point in time. Java should run anywhere, right?
Seriously, there isn't a whole lot I can do about this. The applets
should work, but if they don't... I give away the code.
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