For many years, Java has been associated almost solely with applets, those little programs that run from within Web pages. Microsoft Visual J Plus Plus has changed all that by turning the Java language into an app program powerhouse. Both easier to use than C++ and better adapted to large apps than Basic, Java is well suited for whatever app you have in mind.

Just because Visual J Plus Plus provides a powerful environment for app development doesn't mean that it doesn't provide significant support for applets. In this chapter and the next, we'll cover a variety of applet-related topics, from simple "Hello, world" applets through the Visual J Plus Plus Applet Wizard and right up to multithreaded applet animation.