As all readers know, Java is practically a synonym for Internet programming. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which is its ability to generate secure, cross-platform, portable code. However, one of the most important reasons that Java is the premier language for network programming are the classes defined in the java.net package. They provide an easy-to-use means by which programmers of all skill levels can access network resources.
This chapter explores the java.net package. It is important to emphasize that networking is a very large and at times complicated topic. It is not possible for this book to discuss all of the capabilities contained in java.net. Instead, this chapter focuses on ...