An Introduction to Java and Program Design - Java Programming: Comprehensive Concepts and Techniques - page 5

Console and Windowed Applications

An application is a program that tells a computer how to accept input from
a user and how to produce output in response to those instructions. Typically,
applications are designed to complete a specific task, such as word processing or
accounting. Java applications are considered to be stand-alone because they can
run independent of any other software.
Stand-alone Java applications can be broken down into two types: console
applications and windowed applications. A console application , also called
a console-mode application, uses a command-line interface, such as a command
prompt window, to support character output (Figure 1-2). A windowed
application uses a graphical user interface (GUI) for user input and program
output with on-screen elements such as text boxes, buttons, menus, and toolbars
to support user interaction (Figure 1-3).

Command
Prompt window

command
entered
by user

data entered by
user in response
to program
prompts

result of
calculation

command
prompt

FIGURE 1-2

application
window

menu bar

text box

buttons

FIGURE 1-3