Devices

Java software runs in many places, on many kinds of computers and devices. Here's how it works on a desktop computer in a Web browser:

	References to Java software are embedded on a Web page. This page can be stored on the network or local disk. When the Web browser sees these references, it loads the Java software (called an "applet") transparently and securely.
	The applet is then processed by the Java virtual machine (below), which is built into the browser.
	The Java virtual machine* first does stringent security checks, and then runs the applet, which appears and interoperates inside the browser.
	The computer's operating system1 provides machine-specific support for many of the actual operations and interactions.
	Result: The user gets an interactive Java applet running in a browser. The Java virtual machine serves as consistent platform on different kinds of computers and operating systems, so that the same Java applet runs in browsers on PCs, Macs, UNIX® workstations, Network Computers, and elsewhere.

Back to: How the Java Platform Works

¹Examples of operating systems include Windows95, Windows NT, UNIX®, and Apple MacOS.

For a more detailed technical description of the workings of the Java platform, see The Java Language Environment - A White Paper.

*As used on this web site, the terms "Java virtual machine" or "JVM" mean a virtual machine for the Java platform.