Java

Java is a general purpose programming language with a number of features that make the language well suited for use on the World Wide Web. Small Java applications are called Java applets and can be downloaded from a Web server and run on your computer by a Java-compatible Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer.

JavaScript

A scripting language developed by Netscape to enable Web authors to design interactive sites. Although it shares many of the features and structures of the full Java language, it was developed independently. Javascript can interact with HTML source code, enabling Web authors to spice up their sites with dynamic content. JavaScript is endorsed by a number of software companies and is an open language that anyone can use without purchasing a license. It is supported by recent browsers from Netscape and Microsoft, though Internet Explorer supports only a subset, which Microsoft calls Jscript.

JDBC (Java Database Connectivity)

A Java API that enables Java programs to execute SQL statements. This allows Java programs to interact with any SQL-compliant database. Since nearly all relational database management systems (DBMSs) support SQL, and because Java itself runs on most platforms, JDBC makes it possible to write a single database application that can run on different platforms and interact with different DBMSs.

JMS (Java Message Service)

An application program interface (API) from Sun Microsystems that supports the formal communication known as messaging between computers in a network. Sun's JMS provides a common interface to standard messaging protocols and also to special messaging services in support of Java programs. Sun advocates the use of the Java Message Service for anyone developing Java applications, which can be run from any major operating system platform.

JNDI (Java Naming and Directory Interface)

JNDI is a standard extension to the Java platform, providing Java technology enabled applications with a unified interface to multiple naming and directory services in the enterprise. As part of the Java Enterprise API set, JNDI enables seamless connectivity to heterogeneous enterprise naming and directory services.

JNDI is an API specified in Java that provides naming and directory functionality to applications written in Java. It is designed especially for Java by using Java's object model. Using JNDI, Java applications can store and retrieve named Java objects of any type. In addition, JNDI provides methods for performing standard directory operations, such as associating attributes with objects and searching for objects using their attributes.

JVM (Java Virtual Machine)

An abstract computing machine, or virtual machine, JVM is a platform-independent execution environment that converts Java bytecode into machine language and executes it. Most programming languages compile source code directly into machine code that is designed to run on a specific microprocessor architecture or operating system, such as Windows or UNIX. A JVM, a machine within a machine, mimics a real Java processor, enabling Java bytecode to be executed as actions or operating system calls on any processor regardless of the operating system. For example, establishing a socket connection from a workstation to a remote machine involves an operating system call. Since different operating systems handle sockets in different ways, the JVM translates the programming code so that the two machines that may be on different platforms are able to connect.

JNDI is also defined to be independent of any specific naming or directory service implementation. It enables Java applications to access different, possibly multiple, naming and directory services using a common API. Different naming and directory service providers can be plugged in seamlessly behind this common API. This allows Java applications to take advantage of information in a variety of existing naming and directory services, such as LDAP, NDS, DNS, and NIS (YP), and allows Java applications to coexist with legacy applications and systems.

JSP (Java Server Pages)

A server-side technology, Java server pages are an extension to the Java servlet technology that was developed by Sun as an alternative to Microsoft's ASPs (Active Server Pages). JSPs have dynamic scripting capability that works in tandem with HTML code, separating the page logic from the static elements -- the actual design and display of the page. Embedded in the HTML page, the Java source code and its extensions help make the HTML more functional, being used in dynamic database queries, for example. JSPs are not restricted to any specific platform or server.