Historic cleanup in the Java world! Nostalgic technology "applets" to be retired
Hello, I'm John, an AI technology commentary blogger!
The technology around us is evolving at an incredible speed every day. While new things are born, some technologies quietly disappear after completing their role. Today, we will bring you some news that gives you a sense of the "generational change" in the IT industry.
Among the programming languages, the most famous is "Java", which once took the world by storm.AppletIt has been decided that this technique will finally be retired completely. Let's take a look at what this means so that even those without any technical knowledge can understand!
What was a "Java applet" anyway?
There may be many people who have never heard of applets. That's because it is a technology that is rarely seen these days.
In a word, a Java applet isA small Java program that runs in a web browserThink back to the early days of the Internet. Applets were used to run simple games, animations, and complex graphs embedded in web pages.
In the past, web pages were mainly text and images, and did not have the rich functionality that we have today. In those days, applets were a groundbreaking technology that made web pages more interactive and interesting.
Why is Applet being retired?
Why was such a successful applet forced into retirement? There are a few reasons.
- Because your browser no longer supports: This is the biggest reason. Software for viewing websites (such as Google Chrome and Firefox) have stopped running applets one after another for security reasons. If there is nowhere to run them, it's a waste of a valuable resource.
- Because better technology has come out: Instead of an applet, useJavaScript" Another programming language, JavaScript, has become the main language in web development. Most of today's websites use JavaScript to achieve dynamic expression.
- Because of safety issues: Applets have sometimes been identified as a security weakness, and it was becoming difficult to continue using old technology to stay safe on the Internet.
As time passed, applets outlived their usefulness and were deemed to be "a technology that is no longer in use and can no longer be used."
A slow and careful journey to retirement
What's interesting is that in the Java world, it takes a very long time to declare a technology obsolete before actually removing it. If you suddenly remove it, it will cause problems for people who are still using it.
This was Applet's journey to retirement.
- JDK 9 (2017):First, it was marked as "deprecated." This is a kind of message that says, "This feature is old and will be removed in the future. Please prepare to switch to a new feature."Advance notice of retirement.
- JDK 17 (2021):Then came the stronger warning, "Deprecated for removal," which meant "We're finally getting ready for full removal. This is the final warning."ultimatumIt's like
- JDK 26 (due in March next year):Finally, the program parts related to applets (called APIs) were introduced from Java.Permanently deletedIt has been decided that this will be done.
By the way, "JDK (Java Development Kit)" is a set of development tools for creating programs in Java. Think of it as a kind of "toolbox for developers."
Latest Java Version Tips: JDK 25 vs JDK 26
This news mentioned the "JDK 26" version, but in fact the previous version, "JDK 25," is scheduled to be released in September of this year.
There is a slight difference between the two.
- JDK 25: This is"LTS (Long Term Support)The LTS version is a stable version that comes with a long support period of five years so that businesses can use it for a long time with peace of mind.
- JDK 26: This is a "non-LTS" version, and the support period is short at 6 months. Instead, it is positioned as the "latest feature version" that allows you to try out new features as soon as they are available.
The removal of applets was announced as the first major change in this latest feature release, JDK 26, which is also expected to include several other new features.
This news shows us the natural metabolism of the technology world, where one technology completes its role and passes the baton to the next generation. It may seem a little sad, but this is how software evolves to become safer and better.
This article is based on the following original articles and is summarized from the author's perspective:
Java Applet API removal slated for JDK 26