It checks version and downloads updated applications when available. Performance is much improved. Microsoft can't cripple or corrupt this Java or prevent it from running. Downloadable , free and without charge. This is very good news indeed for corporate developers anxious to break free of the high cost of the Windows environment.
Web based applications are the wave of the future, even on the local network.
They now face the considerable job of convincing programmers to use it instead of the heavily entrenched Java. If they fail to do so, .NET will be a minor player on corporate networks. Despite Microsoft's attempt to kill it, Java thrives. Now, with the Windows question resolved, adoption of Java should accelerate. The main victim of Microsoft's dirty dealing is, this time, Microsoft.