Java applets fuelled Java’s initial growth. The ability to download code over the network and run it on a variety of desktops offering a rich user interaction proved quite compelling. However ...

Because Java Web Start determines which version of the Java ... Netscape Navigator/Communicator and other browsers simply click on a link to download and run applications, said company officials.

Java Web Start downloads the entire application if the application was not previously downloaded. If the application is currently on the client, only new or changed resources are downloaded.

Java Web Start simplifies deployment of applications ... Just include HTML as found in Listing A to prompt the user to download and install the plug-in. The object tag in this HTML snippet ...

Running on top of the Java 2 platform, Java Web Start caches the programs locally and automatically downloads updates on startup. The Java apps are packaged for deployment using the Java Network ...