Why Doesn't MotionApplet Run on My Browser?

MotionApplet is intended to run on your browser using a Java plug-in. Although many browsers come with a built-in Java engine, most of them do not support recent versions of Java (by "recent", we mean two years). So to support the features needed for MotionApplet, we elected to treat the Java engine as a browser plug-in just like any other (QuickTime, RealPlayer, Shockwave, etc.).

If MotionApplet doesn't run for you it is probably because your browser either not configured to run Java as a plug-in or because your currently installed plug-in is not an up-to-date version of Java. MotionApplet depends on elements from the Java Foundations Classes, specifically the Java Swing API. If these classes are not available on your system, MotionApplet will not run.

How Can I Download a Java Plug-In?

If you wish to run MotionApplet, the easiest way to do so is to download a new Java Run-Time Environment (JRE) plug-in from Sun Microsystems or another manufacturer. If you saw the browser "puzzle-piece" icon when you tried to access the MotionApplet page, then you can download the plug-in by clicking on the icon and following the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

Unfortunately, the typical Java plug-in runs more than 5 megabytes in size, so it's a pretty hefty download. As an alternative, you may be able to use software already installed on your system. If you already have a Java Run-Time Environment or Software Development Kit (SDK), you may be able to find a procedure for configuring your browser to use it as a plug-in. Check your installation for documentation or "read me" files describing how to do so.

Running the Applet Without a Browser

If you have a Java Run-Time Environment (JRE) or Java Development Kit (JDK) installed on your system, you can run MotionApplet without bothering with your web browser. Simply right-click on the following links to save local copies of the MotionApplet.html and the MotionApplet.jar files to your system. You can then use the Java appletviewer to run them from the command line (in a DOS window or other command-line environment) by typing the following command:

        appletviewer MotionApplet.html

If you have a Java IDE such as Inprise's JBuilder, or Symantec's Cafe, it will also include options to allow you to run an applet from the local host... check your IDE's Help or documentation for more information.