Java is a programming language developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems. Java is platform independent and is an object-oriented programming language. Java can be used for a wide range of development, from application software to web applications.

Web designers have found Java very useful in their work due to the principles on which it was developed; simplicity, object oriented and familiarity, architecture neutrality and portability and high performance. Java is also designed to be interpreted, threaded and dynamic. These principles are almost the same features required of a good web design.

Before the introduction of Java, web designing was done purely with hypermedia, which made them static. Websites came with links that lead to other webpages and on and on, but lack any form of interactivity. Java came in to make webpages interactive. Web designers can create content that users can run on their computers. Web contents can now be in the form of software that can support spreadsheets, animations, interactive games, tutorials and anything programmers can imagine. These applications can be implemented on web platforms with real interactivity; users can get instant, continuous feedback from applications.

Java also enables the inclusion of complete desktop applications and softwares in web pages. This is done through a special Hypertext Markup Language element called applet. It enables real-time graphical input and output, opening web pages to greater levels of interactivity. Another Java tool, the Java Servlet gives web designers a consistent way for implementing the functionality of a Web server. This allows for easy access to other systems.

Another feature that makes Java important in web designing is its ability to run on any platform. Web pages with Java content can run on Windows, Linux or Mac environments. There is no need to have different designs for each of these platforms. Java is also portable. It has a small size and does not need a high specification for the machine to run on.

Also, the object oriented nature of Java makes web designing with Java convenient. Encapsulation allows designers to present a complex webpage to the user in simple terms, hiding the complexity from the user. Object orientation also allows for code re-use. It means that designers can create new web designs without doing all the work from the scratch, but can use code that was once used for another application.

Java was created to be interpreted. The web designs written in Java are not compiled to object code on the computer they are running on, but are indirectly executed by an interpreter. Interpreted Languages have smaller execution time compared to compiled ones. This makes Java web designs run faster than any other.

Additionally, Java is created to be threaded, rather than being procedural. Web designers can make use of sub procedures and functions, making their code compact and allowing for code re-use as well. Java is also dynamic, meaning Web design code written with Java execute the code only at runtime by changing the type system or extending objects. This also makes Java run faster using less computer resources.

Java is a very important tool to use in modern web designing, providing simplicity and interactivity, but giving the designer all the needed tools and technologies.

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