using netscape to compile java

Netscape Navigator version 3.01 for UNIX has an undocumented feature that allows you to run non-graphical java code files without starting the browser.

The reason that java class files which make use of graphics can not be run with this feature is down to the way in which the AWT (Graphics part of Java) makes use of peers that are dependant on the underlying machine architecture and implementation of the java. Or more simply Netscape provides the AWT layer, but uses different peers.

This is what you need to need to do in order to run java

Now thats sorted, there's nothing to stop you writing and compiling java on virtually any architecture.