What are Java Fndtn Classes?

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Java Foundation Classes (JFC) are reusable software components that can be used to create a graphical user interface in a Java® application. They are an improvement on the toolkit that came with earlier versions of Java®. They are intended to simplify software development, reduce programming time, and achieve the goal of creating applications that look and work the same, regardless of the type of computer they run on.

JFCs are a set of user interface components that expand on the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) originally provided with the Java® programming language. They are JavaBeans components that are part of Java 2® and are designed to be cross-platform and customizable. They aim to reduce programming time by providing components that can be reused from one application to another and from one platform to another. The Java Foundation Classes don’t actually replace the Abstract Window Toolkit but are instead part of it. However, they enable the Java® ideal of “write once, run anywhere” more fully than the original AWT.

The AWT allows user interface design, but it does so using the windowing system of the operating system it is running on. This makes it difficult to create applications that look and behave the same on any platform, due to the inherent differences in functionality between operating systems. AWT was also very limited as the set of controls it provided was not broad enough to create complex user interfaces and rich software applications. AWT components are what Sun Microsystems calls the “heavyweight” because they use the host window system.

Recognizing the limitations of AWT, the Netscape developers created a set of components called Internet Foundation Classes. It was a set of “light” components, components written natively in Java®. This extended the functionality of AWT and allowed developers to create user interfaces that maintained their appearance when run on different platforms. JavaSoft then started a joint project with Netscape, called the Swing project. This project produced a set of user interface controls with a variety comparable to that available from any operating system platform.

Swing is a set of lightweight components that Sun has released to the public in conjunction with several other feature enhancements planned for the Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.2. This package of Swing plus other feature enhancements was what JavaSoft called Java Foundation Classes. Swing’s UI controls are the core of the Java Foundation Classes, which also include print, clipboard, and accessibility features, among other elements. JDK 1.2 includes the full version of JFC, although a limited version was made available that could be used with the then-current JDK 1.1.

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