Future Trends: 3D Graphics, Animation, Java, and ActiveX

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We�ve heard people getting �hooked on Java,� but that doesn�t just mean they�re addicted to caffeine. Java, created by Sun Microsystems, is a programming language that has taken the World Wide Web by storm. If you see graphics moving like Mexican jumping beans at a Web site, it�s usually a Java applet at the helm of the mini-animation. These Java programs make the Web more interactive, but they also require some higher-end hardware. You can turn off Java in your Web browser, but if you want to see the Web in full action, consider getting a fast CPU processor. It�s hard to go wrong with a Pentium processor that is at least 100 MHz.

After Java comes ActiveX. Formerly called Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), ActiveX is a Microsoft technology to make interactive audio, video, and animation available on the Web. Rumor has it that ActiveX will make the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser interactive with a capital I. Only the daring will see how ActiveX plays the Web game. And if you dare to be on the ActiveX team, you�ll want to get a fast CPU processor speed. Even the not-so-adventurous know that, like Java, ActiveX requires more system resources.