(jar) A compressed
archive
file containing
Java class files, filename extension:
".jar". The
Java Development Kit contains a tool called
"jar" for creating .jar files, similar to the standard
Unix
tar command. As well as archiving and compressing the Java
class files, it also inserts a "manifest" file which can
contain information about the class files, such as a
digital signature. Combining class files into a single archive file
makes it possible to download them in a single
HTTP
transaction. This, and the
compression, speeds up execution
of Java programs delivered via the
Internet.
(2001}-02-03)