The days when applets were mistakenly (perhaps maliciously) used in almost all the wrong places is long past. When I first worked in AT&T, one of the major intranet sites used applets as blinking button links! Needless to say, that was one ugly looking and slow web site.
So what happened to create what some are refering to as the Applet Debacle? Simple. The “F” word happened, a devilish technology from Macromedia that was shrewdly targeted at designers instead of hard core developers - a smooth-talking, cool-looking babe that powered the creative efforts of millions of people who otherwise would never know an If-Else statement from a GoTo.
And yet, despite the politics, and the predictions, and the general delight of Java-haters, Java applets continue to flourish in some pretty unexpected places. When I stumble upon a beautifully designed and functional applet, I feel just like I would if I had come upon some fascinating orchid in the wild. It just takes my breath away.
Take a gander at these beautiful new suite of applets that are used by a Danish research lab to model some very interesting biological phenomena.
Or take these applets which allow you to make music by sketching the notes on the applet, then hearing your “music” (heheh) as a Quicktime movie.
Or take this simple but sorta cool applet that allows people to transfer files onto servers by simply dragging then dropping them from the desktop onto the applet. It’s simple, but for some reason I never encountered such a thing before.
Honestly, I’m happy to see applets used in such intelligent and useful ways, a far cry indeed from its past use as banner ads or website navigation tools. I mean, how many times can I stomach seeing a reflected lake applet on my browser?
Note: If you know of other cool applets, do let me know.
