Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Web Browser Components for Java?

Posted by Cliff on from the it's-all-about-the-components dept.

coonsta queries: "Being able to embed a Web browser is critical to the success of a platform (and the browser). High Stakes, No Prisoners argues this quite eloquently. Windows has an embeddable IE (and Mozilla to boot); Linux has Mozilla; wxWindows has wxHTML; etc. But what does Java have? I can forsake cross-platform support and embed IE, but that won't interact well with Swing; I can embed Mozilla, if Webclient is ever released in a usable form (and what about OS X?); I can use a JTextPane, and forget about nice-looking pages or script; I can Runtime.exec the browser and forget about being able to control it or interact with it; I can use CalPane and forget about JavaScript; or I can buy a component from Company X-dot-com, and subsequently price the software out of the market. Do any developers know if I can have my cake and eat it to? That is, does anybody know of a cheap, cross-platform Web browser component for Java with a reasonably modern feature set?"

9 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. One of the great lost opportunities by fm6 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sun made many mistakes during its big Java push. One of the biggest was their failure to implement a decent HTML viewer in Java. Instead they gave us HotJava. A classic Java app. Trivial to port to a new OS, but utterly useless once you got it there.

  2. Various Browser Components by jdevons · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You could use Sun's BasicHTML or IceSoft or many others...

    --
    I do everything the voices in my head tell me to...
  3. Re:Swing by gnovos · · Score: 3, Insightful

    YUCK! Do NOT try and use Sun's HTML rendering swing components unless you don't need any more sophistication than can be provided in a slashdot comment. Once you go past bold, italics and font colors, you start seeing serious glitches in the rendering code. Like try putting INPUT tags inside of a TABLE... OUCH! IT will start placing ing INPUT tags randomly all over the screen.

    It was a nice idea, adding the HTML to the swing components, but unless they are going to actually do it right then it's useless.

    --
    "Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
  4. here are some others... by flipper28 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Clue Browser
    HTMLArea Component

    1. Re:here are some others... by splante · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I just downloaded Clue from you link above, and now I'm posting this comment using Clue. The rendering actually looks pretty good, although there aren't a whole lot of functions on the menu bar.

    2. Re:here are some others... by CyberDong · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think this page qualifies the Clue Browser as another Company X-dot-com product. If you're willing to go that route, then you can't ignore Espial's escape browser either...

  5. You already nailed it by The+Mayor · · Score: 2

    The best one I have found (really the only viable one...HotJava simply sucks) is the one from IceSoft. But you included a link to that in your message.

    It's got CSS, HTML v4.0, etc etc. It seems pretty decent, but truth be told I've only used it on a little pilot project I did a while back. I never actually purchased it--just used their demo license. It seemed reasonably OK.

    --
    --Be human.
  6. Rhino by atomray · · Score: 2, Informative

    There is a Java JavaScript interpreter. Netscape began the project and it is still available:

    http://www.mozilla.org/rhino/

    I have experimented with it, it works well. Enjoy

    --
    take your sig and shove it
  7. Applet? by MrBlack · · Score: 2

    Why not create an applet? that way you already have a web browser...