Doesn't the World Wide Web have something to do with this?

Not necessarily. Java is a programming language. When work began on what has become Java, the World Wide Web was just getting started at CERN; and Mosaic wasn't even a glint in Marc Andreesen's eye. The original use of the Java language (settop boxes) required security and the ability to execute code from untrusted hosts. It turns out these are virtually the same requirements for allowing people to download and run programs from the Web. No other language has the built-in security of Java. The key here is the security features. The object-oriented nature of Java is secondary, and mainly reflects the preferences and prejudices of the developers who set out to write a secure language. The C-like syntax of the language is even less crucial. At the lowest level the advantage of Java to the web is that it provides a secure, cross-platform way for code to be executed.  more

Not necessarily. Java is a programming language. When work began on what has become Java, the World Wide Web was just getting started at CERN; and Mosaic wasn't even a glint in Marc Andreesen's eye. The original use of the Java language (settop boxes) required security and the ability to execute code from untrusted hosts. It turns out these are virtually the same requirements for allowing people to download and run programs from the Web. No other language has the built-in security of Java. The key here is the security features. The object-oriented nature of Java is secondary, and mainly reflects the preferences and prejudices of the developers who set out to write a secure language. The C-like syntax of the language is even less crucial. At the lowest level the advantage of Java to the web is that it provides a secure, cross-platform way for code to be executed. At a somewhat higher level Java adds several features to existing web sites: Arbitrary Graphics Java lets the server draw ...  more