Java Glossary

Last updated 1998 June 16 by Roedy Green ©1996-1998 Canadian Mind Products.

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W

WAIS
Internet Wide Area Information Server.
warehouse
See data warehouse.
wav
Microsoft's format for sound files. It is similar to AU format, but with more complicated headers. To convert Microsoft Window *.WAV files to AU format see code/sfx/Wav2Au available from Tony Hursh. CoolEdit availble via Tucows will also do the conversion. JMF classes will let you play wav files directly. See sound, au, JMF.
wavelet compression
a technique for strongly compressing images. See JPEG, Fractal compression.
weak reference
A weak reference is one that does not prevent the referenced object from being garbage collected. The GC will send some sort of "finalize" message to the object and then set any weakly-referencing variables to null whenever it disposes of the referenced object. This allows "finalization" logic to be run before the object is disposed of (e.g., close a file if still open, commit any open transaction(s), etc.). Java does not support weak references other than via an undocumented Ref class that is not supported under Netscape. Weak references will be coming in JDK 1.2.
web
The aggregate collection of documents you can retrieve using the http protocol on the Internet. It is like a giant collaborative book, continuously updated by thousands of authors. It contains text, pictures, sound, and video. It can refer to all the computers accessible via the Internet, or more narrowly the text and graphics available to browsers via HTTP protocol on those computers. Sometimes it is used as a generic term for any sort of electronic communication via email, newsgroups or web sites.
WebShop
A Java based shopping cart system. Supports 10 server platforms. Supports English, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese and German.
Website
A computer with a permanent Internet connection. People from all over the world can connect to it via the Internet to retrieve text and graphics using the HTTP protocol.
WebTop
A project by IBM, Lotus and Sun to create a standard Java-based API for web applications. No API details have been announced. We might expect WebTop to be based on Lotus Ensuite. It would compete with Windows. Its advantages would be:
WebLogic
Weblogic makes a set of two-tier JDBC drivers and a T3 server they claim are 20 times faster than using an ODBC bridge. See three tier, JDBC.
Web Pump
a browser that lets you rapidly download just the html and graphics you want from a site. By using specialised techniques you can do this five times faster than you could with an ordinary browser.
Webreader
a web browser/newsreader written entirely in Java. It reads/writes posts in HTML.
WebTwin
WebTwin converts HTML files or web sites into a Windows help file. The new help file can be searched by using the Windows Help program. This makes searching and browsing much faster. In the right Java editor, Java documentation is then accessible via an F1 keystroke.
widget
"Widget" in X-Windows is "component" in Javanese. See component.
Window
Like a frame, but without Window without borders or menu bar. A generic term for both a frame and dialog. Windows can accept keystrokes. See Frame, Dialog, Canvas, Panel.
Windows CE
A stripped down version of the Windows operating system that can fit in ROM in pocket-organiser-sized computers. It is not a Java-based system. It is not portable; it is based around the Intel chip with typically 4 MB ROM and 4 MB RAM. See Business Java, Personal Java, Embedded Java.
WinG
provides fast DIB-to-screen blts under Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows 95, and Windows NT version 3.5. WinG will not run on Windows NT version 3.1 or on earlier versions of Windows. IBM's Java implementation for Win 3.1 requires WinG.
WingDis
A Java reverse compiler to reverse engineer class files back into Java source code. WingDis is implemented completely in Java, and it can run on both JDK 1.0.2 and JDK 1.1. To use it you need a BAT file something like this:
java -classpath d:\wingdis;%CLASSPATH% wingsoft.Decompiler -s %1
The results it generates are often hard to find. They don't always end up in the same directory as the class file you are decompiling. Formerly known as JavaDis. See disassemble.
Wingen
a Java code generator. The company may be defunct.
womb
A program that runs on a server that supports small Java servlet programs that process transactions. Also the part of a web browser that supports applets. See servlet, applet.
wrapper
Java won't let you change a caller's variable. However it will let you change the fields inside a caller's object passed to you as a parameter. To get around the limitation that you can't change the caller's variables, (or return multiple values), you create a dummy class. You can then have the caller pass you an object of that dummy class and you fiddle its fields. Alternatively you create such an object, fill in its fields and return it to the caller. That dummy class is called a wrapper. The term is also used for an immutable Integer -- a wrapper around an int to turn it into an object.



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