The Java Plug-in

Though popular web browsers began including their own Java interpreters with the first release of the language in the mid-'90s, these interpreters failed to keep current.

To make it possible for Java 2 applets to run in current browsers, Sun Microsystems offers the Java Plug-in, a substitute for a browser's built-in interpreter that supports the most up-to-date version of the language.

A plug-in is a program that works in conjunction with a web browser to expand its functionality. Plug-ins handle a type of data that the browser normally could not handle. Apple offers a plug-in to display QuickTime movies, Macromedia distributes a plug-in to run Flash animation files, and many other kinds of special content are supported in this ...

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