Sun Performance and Tuning: Java™ and the Internet, Second Edition

Java Overview and Terminology

Herein is a quick tour through the relevant parts of the technology. If you want to learn more, there are many books on Java, and the latest information is available at http://java.sun.com. My own favorite introductory text is Just Java, by Peter Van der Linden, Sun Microsystems Press and Prentice Hall.

What Is Java?

There are a lot of possible definitions of Java, so here is my attempt to sum up the key features.

Java is designed to solve the problems of constructing secure, distributed, portable, object-oriented applications.

Java Security

There are two ways to build a secure system that is also network-aware. One way is to start with an existing insecure system, remove insecure features, and add new safe features. ...