As we have already noted, there are two kinds of programs you can write in Java. Programs that are to be embedded in a web page are called Java applets, and normal standalone programs are called Java applications. You can further subdivide Java applications into console applications, which only support character output to your computer screen (to the command line on a PC under Windows, for example), and windowed Java applications that can create and manage multiple windows. The latter use the typical graphical user interface (GUI) mechanisms of window-based programs – menus, toolbars, dialogs and so on.
While we are learning the Java language basics, we will be using console applications as examples to illustrate how things work. These are application that use simple command line input and output. With this approach we can concentrate on understanding the specifics of the language, without worrying about any of the complexity involved in creating and managing windows. Once we are comfortable with using all the features of the Java language, we'll move on to windowed applications and applet examples.
