browser : Java Glossary

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giraffe browsing browser
A browser is a program to surf the web and run Java Applets. Most of them are quite poor at printing accurate renderings of the screen. One way around this is to use Faststone capture, and print that.
Best Browsers Setting Default Font
Terminology Engaging the Java Console in Your Browser
Performance DOM
Detecting Which Browser Learning More
Browser Bugs Links

Best Browsers

Please select one of these modern browsers to download and install free.
Click the corresponding browser icon to download the latest free browser software, or click the browser name for more information.
OperaOpera10.01with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Fast and light. Accurate CSS.
AvantAvant11.7:41with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). It is a fast browser, especially at starting up. Has problems with JavaScript. Excellent and rendering and printing tables. It uses the IE rendering engine.
FirefoxFirefox3.5.4with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Most widely supported next to IE. Many add-ins. Somewhat sluggish.
Sea MonkeySea Monkey2.0with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Similar to Firefox, with integrated Email.
SafariSafari4.0.3with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Now works both on Macs and PCs. Some rendering problems.
FlockFlock2.5.5with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Similar to Firefox for social networking.
Google ChromeGoogle Chrome3.0.195.27with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Frequently updated.
IE8IE88.0.6001.18813with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Out of spite, blocks Java unless you OK. It has many bugs and crashes frequently. Renders column classes correctly.
IE7IE77.0.6000with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). It is pain to get Java Web Start working.
IE6IE66.0.2800with the Java 1.6.0_17 JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Not secure.
Get JavaSun’s Java1.6.0_17JRE (Java Runtime Environment)

Terminology

Browser Terminology
Internet Explorer Firefox Opera
Internet Options Options Preferences
Temporary Internet Files Cache Cache
Favorites Bookmarks Bookmarks
Address Bar Location Bar Address Bar
Refresh Reload Reload
Links Bar Bookmarks Toolbar Bookmarks Panel
Copy Shortcut Copy Link Location Copy Link Address
Save Target As Save Link As Save Target As
RSS (not supported) Live Bookmark Feed

Performance

There are three things you can do to make your browser run faster:

Detecting Which Browser

How can you find out which browser is running your Applet? This code came from Dennis Brake dbrake@mitre.org.

Browser Bugs

All the browsers have bugs. I don’t pretend to provide a definitive list here. However these are the bugs in each browser that I find most annoying.

Opera: ignores <col format settings for table columns. Ignores CSS max-width property. Does not support CSS overflow to permit scrolling tables. Can’t access a printer to print a selection in Vista.

Netscape: Does not display borders on Applets.

Firefox: Does not display borders on Applets. Ignores <col class and alignment settings for table columns.

Mozilla: Does not display borders on Applets.

Sea Monkey: draws boxes needlessly around links that consist of an image plus text.

Internet Explorer: does not render *.png image files with transparent backgrounds properly. In the latest update of IE, it won’t render Applets unless you click on them. This makes Applets like CurrCon which displays all the prices on a page in your local currency useless. This is just another part of Microsoft’s dirty war against Java.

Report bugs to the vendors in their support forums. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Setting Default Font

You can set choose fonts style and colours to use for default when a web page does not specify them. You might do this to increase the size to make the text more visible, or to support Esperanto accented characters.

Engaging the Java Console in Your Browser

If you are in a browser you have to enable to console before you can see it.

Opera logo Opera Engaging the Console

Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In Opera you can enable the console with:
  1. Click “Tools”.
  2. Click “Advanced”.
  3. Click “Java Console”.
You also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
  1. Click “task bar Start”.
  2. Click “Settings”.
  3. Click “Control Panel”.
  4. On Vista, click “Programsl”.
  5. Double click “Java”.
  6. Click “Advanced”.
  7. Click “+ Java console”.
  8. Click “Show Console”.
  9. Click “OK”.
  10. Click “File”.
  11. Click “Close”.
Finally, to make the console visible:
  1. Click “Tools”.
  2. Click “Advannced”.
  3. Click “Java console”.

Netscape logo Netscape Engaging the Console

Last revised/verified: 2008-01-07
In Netscape, you enable the console with:
  1. Click Netscape ! shield icon 
  2. Click “Advanced”.
  3. Click “Enable Java”.
  4. Click “Done”.
You also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
  1. Click “task bar Start”.
  2. Click “Settings”.
  3. Click “Control Panel”.
  4. On Vista, click “Programsl”.
  5. Double click “Java”.
  6. Click “Advanced”.
  7. Click “+ Java console”.
  8. Click “Show Console”.
  9. Click “OK”.
  10. Click “File”.
  11. Click “Close”.

firefox firefox Engaging the Console

Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In Firefox, you enable the console with:
  1. Click “Tools”.
  2. Click “Options”.
  3. Click “Content”.
  4. click “Enable Java”.
  5. click “OK”.
You also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
  1. Click “task bar Start”.
  2. Click “Settings”.
  3. Click “Control Panel”.
  4. On Vista, click “Programsl”.
  5. Double click “Java”.
  6. Click “Advanced”.
  7. Click “+ Java console”.
  8. Click “Show Console”.
  9. Click “OK”.
  10. Click “File”.
  11. Click “Close”.

Mozilla logo Mozilla Engaging the Console

Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In Mozilla, you enable the console with:
  1. Click “Edit”.
  2. Click “Preferences”.
  3. Click “Advanced”.
  4. Click “Enable Java”.
  5. Click “OK”.
You also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
  1. Click “task bar Start”.
  2. Click “Settings”.
  3. Click “Control Panel”.
  4. On Vista, click “Programsl”.
  5. Double click “Java”.
  6. Click “Advanced”.
  7. Click “+ Java console”.
  8. Click “Show Console”.
  9. Click “OK”.
  10. Click “File”.
  11. Click “Close”.
Finally, to make the console visible:
  1. Click “Tools”.
  2. Click “Web Development”.
  3. Click “Java console”.

Sea Monkey logo Sea Monkey Engaging the Console

Last revised/verified: 2006-03-19
In Sea Monkey, you enable the console with:
  1. Click “Edit”.
  2. Click “Preferences”.
  3. Click “Advanced”.
  4. Click “Enable Java”.
  5. Click “OK”.
You also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
  1. Click “task bar Start”.
  2. Click “Settings”.
  3. Click “Control Panel”.
  4. On Vista, click “Programsl”.
  5. Double click “Java”.
  6. Click “Advanced”.
  7. Click “+ Java console”.
  8. Click “Show Console”.
  9. Click “OK”.
  10. Click “File”.
  11. Click “Close”.
Finally, to make the console visible:
  1. Click “Tools”.
  2. Click “Web Development”.
  3. Click “Java console”.

Internet Explorer logo Internet Explorer Engaging the Console

Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In Internet Explorer, you enable the console with:
  1. Click “Tools”.
  2. Click “Internet Options”.
  3. Click “Advanced”.
  4. Click “Java Sun”.
  5. Select Use Java (pick latest). Do not use the MS JVM.
In Windows, you also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
  1. Click “task bar Start”.
  2. Click “Settings”.
  3. Click “Control Panel”.
  4. On Vista, click “Programsl”.
  5. Double click “Java”.
  6. Click “Advanced”.
  7. Click “+ Java console”.
  8. Click “Show Console”.
  9. Click “OK”.
  10. Click “File”.
  11. Click “Close”.
  12. Restart your browser.
In Mac OS Leopard, you also have to enable the console on the Java Preferences Application.
  1. Applications
  2. Utilities
  3. Java Preferences Application.
  4. Click “Advanced”.
  5. Click “Show Console”.
  6. Restart your browser.
Finally, to make the console visible:
  1. Click “Tools”.
  2. Click “Sun Java console”.

Java logo Java.exe Engaging the Console

Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In java.exe the console is enabled by default; you turn it off by using javaw.exe instead. You also have to enable the console on the Java Control Panel.
  1. Click “task bar Start”.
  2. Click “Settings”.
  3. Click “Control Panel”.
  4. On Vista, click “Programsl”.
  5. Double click “Java”.
  6. Click “Advanced”.
  7. Click “+ Java console”.
  8. Click “Show Console”.

Java Web Start logo  javaws.exe Engaging the Console

Last revised/verified: 2006-02-07
In jawaws.exe (Java Web Start), you must:
  1. start javaws.exe
  2. Click “edit”.
  3. Click “preferences”.
  4. Click “advanced”.
  5. Click “+ Java console”.
  6. Click “Show Console”.
  7. Click “OK”.

DOM

It is possible for Java Applets to get out and peek at the web page document surrounding them in Java 1.4+. Another technique is to have JavaScript dynamically generate <applet <param tags. You can also have Java call JavaScript functions to let you get data from froms in insert data in forms.

Learning More

Sun’s JDK Technote Guide on Accessing the browser’s Document Object Model : available:

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