Thank you for the info, dragonchild. I've been doing a fair amount of client-side scripting with JScript (Micro$oft's javascript) lately, and have been wondering why I couldn't do it in Perl. I know about PerlScript, but I can't use it here because it isn't installed. I didn't realize there were these other barriers to entry as well. :-(

Btw -- I think it's clear from the context that "advanced client-side applications" means programming to a plug-in, not to the browser itself. Therefore the comparison between Java and PerlScript is apples and oranges. PerlScript is an alternative to Javascript/JScript/VBScript (etc.). An alternative to Java (on the client) would be something embedded, like Flash, and whatever Tk or Wx thingies people might have come up with.