Study Guide

1. Applets

   On the Web, the term is often "Java applet." But applets existed before the Java programming language arrived. They're simply "little application programs" that are usually built into an operating system or a larger application program. The built-in writing and drawing programs that come with Windows are sometimes called "applets." With Java, which is a language designed for creating small program objects for a distributed environment like the Web, an applet becomes something that can arrive along with an HTML file. A user can then click on an image and trigger the applet to animate the image or cause a pop-up window to appear and ask a question, then perform some calculation tailored to the user's input.
   • What is a Java Applet and what does it do?
   • What ethical standards should govern the code used in applets?
   • Who is responsible for applet content? Is it the server, the client, or the user?
   • Should applets be allowed to alter the software on your computer without consent? What ethical issues are raised concerning personal privacy?
   • Examine The Java Security FAQ. What is your impression of Java Applet security?

    

2. Browsers

   A browser is a program that provides a way to look at, read, and even hear all the information on the World Wide Web. The word "browser" seems to have originated prior to the Web as a generic term for user interfaces that let you browse text files online. By the time the first Web browser with a graphical user interface was invented (it was called Mosaic), the term seemed to apply to Web content, too. Technically, a Web browser is a client program that uses the Hypertext Transport Control Protocol (HTTP) to make requests of Web servers throughout the Internet on behalf of the browser user. Currently, the most popular browser is Netscape Navigator. Microsoft's Internet Explorer is gaining usage as Windows 95 installations grow. A commercial version of the original browser, Mosaic, is still widely used. Other browsers include the browsers for the online services, America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy, but these are beginning to offer Netscape or Internet Explorer in addition to or as a replacement for their own. Lynx is a text-only browser for UNIX shell and VMS users.
   • A Browser does much more than simply browse. It is interactive. How would you sum up what a browser is?
   • Based on your answer to the previous question, what security is needed to insure ethical browsing?
   • Examine the security enhancements in Microsoft Internet Explorer v 4.0. Do these seem to address your ethical concerns in from the previous question?
   • Visit Netscape Security Notes. Notice how most of the bugs concerning Netscape Communicator are related to privacy and security. What is your impression of this, and what does this say about the ethics of our society concerning privacy and security.