Summer 1995 saw the release, with considerable media attention, of draft versions of Sun Microsystems' Java computer programming language and the HotJava browser. Java has been heralded as the latest "killer" technology in the Internet explosion. Sun Microsystems and numerous companies including Microsoft, IBM, and Netscape have agreed upon licensing terms. Java is set to change the way that people interact with intranets and the Internet. This paper discusses: (1) how a domestic interface development tool became an Internet product; (2) the Java environment and related products--HotJava, Java Virtual Machine, JavaOS, and JavaChips; (3) Java's strengths as a developer and user tool--platform independence, programming quality, object-orientation, security, commercial promise, and application integration; (4) Java's competitors--ActiveX and Inferno; and (5) Java applications--cybertrade (purchase of goods online), corporate information flow, and information services specific projects. Java offers a greater choice of tools for software development for several platforms, easing developer decisions on market penetration and choice of programming language. End-users can benefit from the enhancements Java brings to Web page design. In the field of library and information science, the most obvious applications are in information retrieval. Long term, Java's legacy is likely to lie in the shift toward true network computing. A glossary of terms is appended. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/SWC)