The language and API support provided by Navigator and Internet Explorer varied widely. The Java security support of the two browsers was nearly incompatible. Fortunately, Sun worked hard over the years to address these shortcomings. There are now a number of reasons why applets are becoming a better solution for mobile code. The performance of the JVM has been improved.
Classes load and execute much faster.
JAR files enable all of an applet's classes to be retrieved with a single HTTP request. The above factors, combined with increased high-performance microprocessors and Internet connections, make applets a more appealing alternative to delivering executable content. The plug-in is run in place of the browser's native JVM and API classes. For Java developers, the advantages of the plug-in are tremendous. The plug-in enables developers to write their applets for the latest version of Java.