Mac OS X for Java Geeks

8.3 GUI Application Delivery Comparison

Several options are available for delivering your Java-based, client-side GUI application on Mac OS X. Table 8-2 provides a chart comparing these various delivery mechanisms.

Table 8-2. Packaging options for GUI applications

	Double-clickable JAR	Mac OS X bundled application	Applet	Web Start
Packaging requirements	Entry in JAR manifest	Specific directory and packaging requirements	HTML file	HTML file and JNLP file
Development complexity	Minimal (standard Java development)	Additional Mac OS X configuration	Use Applet Runner	Significant relaunching within Web Start
Portability	Closest to "pure" Java	Doesn't force incompatibility; unfamiliar to non-Mac OS X users	Extensive browser testing required	Closest to "pure" Java with network connectivity
Functionality	Full	Full	Limited by Sandbox, browser JVM	Limited by digital signature
Sandbox	None	None	Browser	Web Start
Mac OS X user experience	Varies per testing on Mac OS X	Preferred	Varies per testing on Mac OS X	Generally preferred over applets for network-delivered applications