Graphical and user interface capabilities have progressed in leaps and bounds since the early days of the Java language. The Java 2 platform contains a sophisticated cross-platform user interface architecture that consists of numerous high-level components, an advanced feature-rich device-independent graphics system, and a host of multimedia extensions. This article explores this progression, examines the capabilities of the current version 1.3 in detail, and looks to the future to see what release 1.4 will offer.