Featuring a powerful and flexible user interface class library called Java™ Foundation Classes (JFC), Java technology is the perfect choice for bringing interactivity to the Web’s heterogeneous environment. This is because JFC is the only comprehensive user interface library that remains unfragmented and runs across all major operating systems in a consistent manner.

Unfortunately, Java technology on the client-side suffered some serious setbacks early on from which it never fully recovered. The reasons historically attributed to this failure were its agonizing performance, puerile design of its original window toolkit and the deployment constraints it imposed.

Despite repeated attempts by Sun to resuscitate Java technology on the client side with the introduction of JFC, a Java Plug-in for browsers, and a high performance HotSpot™ JVM, it continued to languish on the client side.

Now, a confluence of technologies has created an environment that is extremely conducive to the widespread adoption of Java technology on the client side. With the future of the Java platform secure on the server side, Sun is showing a renewed focus on improving it on the client side.

Armed with a new technology called Java Web Start, Sun is making yet another attempt to gain a foothold on the client side. Coupled with JFC and a fast HotSpot JVM, it promises to finally make Java technology viable on the client side.