About the Citrix Client for Java
This article applys to the following Citrix/Virtual Desktop clients: 
Overview
Java is a platform that is capable of running on either a Windows or Mac PC, provided they have the Java Virtual Machine installed. While the Citrix Client for Java can be used on a Windows PC, the main focus of this documentation will be about running it on a Mac. (This is because the Citrix Web Client for Windows is an easier, fuller-featured option for Windows PCs.)
When the Virtual Desktop Web Interface is opened in the Safari browser on a Mac, the Java client is automatically invoked as a Java "applet". An Java applet is a small Java program that downloads and runs automatically whenever a page that contains the applet is loaded in a web browser. This means the client never needs to be interactively installed. Instead the applet is kept in the Java cache and is loaded whenever the Virtual Desktop Web Interface is accessed. Most Mac OS X computers will already have the Java Virtual Machine installed. For a description of the differences between the two clients available for the Mac, see this article.
Key Features
- No installation necessary
- "Seamless Windows" is supported, which means you can dynamically resize the window
- The files that make up the Java applet are stored in the Java cache so subsequent launches will be faster
- Automatically maps a drive to your home directory on your Mac's local hard drive for easy file access
- Works in conjunction with the Virtual Desktop Web Interface so no icons need to be manually created
- When a new client is released, it is updated on the server, not on your Mac
More Information
For instructions on installing and using the Citrix client for Java, see the main Virtual Desktop Documentation page.
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Last Updated: 04/24/2008