The Java Sketchbook

HTML and CSS, AWT and Swing... there's a lot to know about delivering a great client-side application. In "The Java Sketchbook", Joshua Marinacci covers the fun and the freaky, the frustrating and the fabulous, for developing desktop GUI's and web applications.

Java Sketchbook: Digging into Java Web Start
Java Web Start offers new solutions to old problems of distributing J2SE applications to end users. In the second installment of his look at JWS, Java Sketchbook columnist Joshua Marinacci looks at the JWS sandbox, options for getting out of it, speeding up downloads with Pack 200 compression, and more. Sep. 1, 2005

Java Sketchbook: Getting Started with Java Web Start
Desktop developers have long desired a more practical means of deploying applications than just dropping files on a client machine and expecting the user to do a java -jar, or a script/batch file equivalent. Java Web Start addresses not only this user experience problem, but also helps with updating client code. In this installment of "The Java Sketchbook," Joshua Marinacci looks at how Web Start works. Aug. 11, 2005

Introducing JDesktop Integration Components, Part 2
Joshua Marinacci continues his investigation of Java Desktop Integration Components (JDIC) with a look into the SaverBeans API, which allows you to create Java-based screensavers. Nov. 1, 2004

Introducing JDesktop Integration Components, Part 1
It hasn't been easy to create a Java desktop application that goes beyond look and feel to actually do things native apps do--register file associations, communicate status via a tray icon, use the platform's browser, etc. But as Joshua Marinacci reports, JDesktop Integration Components may change all that. Oct. 14, 2004

Java Sketchbook: Getting Started With Scripting
Programs that expose themselves to programming by the user are few and far between--an Emacs Lisp macro here, an AppleScript-able Mac app there. It's a pity, since scriptability gives users great power. With Java, embedding JavaScript as a scripting language is pretty easy. Joshua Marinacci shows how it can be done. Sep. 20, 2004

Java Sketchbook: The HTML Renderer Shootout, Part 2
HTML is everywhere; not just on the Web, but as a styled-text and hyperlinking standard for help systems, online stores, email, and many other applications. For these many needs, there are many Java-based HTML rendering toolkits. This second part of Joshua Marinacci's series looks at the commercial offerings in the HTML rendering space. Jun. 14, 2004

Java Sketchbook: The HTML Renderer Shootout, Part 1
HTML is everywhere; not just on the Web, but also as a styled-text and hyperlinking standard for help systems, online stores, email, and many other applications. And for these many needs, there are many Java-based HTML rendering toolkits. Part 1 of Joshua Marinacci's two-part series looks at the free offerings in the HTML rendering space. May. 24, 2004