Java Web Start
In the growing market of the software industry today, users are clamoring for client applications that can be run not only from a desktop environment but also from the Internet. Users want the same functionality and support from Web-based applications as they get from those on their desktop, preferably packed with a thin-client interface. The most common solution, currently, is to develop two separate Java applications: one that executes as a desktop application and one that simulates much of the functionality of a desktop application, but is accessed from the Web. This is a burden to developers, who are required to write two separate applications that perform the same on different execution environments, but it is also a financial burden to software companies, which are forced to provide support for two separate applications. To alleviate this problem, Sun Microsystems has introduced Java Web Start, a client-side technology that enables Java applications to launch either from a desktop or from a Web page. This eliminates the need to develop Java support for Web applications, and also provides an efficient means to upgrade, maintain, and manage client-side Java applications with the support of any common Web server.
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