Question: I'm just getting into Java and have a simple question:
What is J2EE and how is it different from Java2?

Answer: Java2 is the name of the current specification of the Java language, the JVM
and all the other things that make up the basics of Java.

Java2 is a specification. It is implemented in the product SDK 1.3 now and soon will be available in 1.4 version (beta now).

Java has 3 subsections:


1. J2EE - Enterprise Edition - for server applications and other back-end...
2. J2SE - Standard edition - for desktop use...
3. J2ME - Micro edition - runs in cell phones, PDAs, and other resource and memory constrained devices, on the order of a 16 bit RISC processor and 128-512k RAM.

The 3 sections listed above are not products - they are specs, and define the tools available, language semantics, standard APIs and optional APIs.

J2ME is a subset of the Java2 spec.
J2EE is a superset of J2SE (+ extra APIs, + functionality).
The difference between J2EE and J2SE is J2EE contains extra APIs
A J2EE application is built using the J2SE tools, the difference is the extra APIs.
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