About executables in Java

Question

Hi all,
I've heard that it is possible to create an .exe file written in java.
Till now i thought that a compiler creates class files that are executed inside VM. On the other hand .exe files are executed by the Operating System, right? Isn't it a little weird? Besides there is no compiler parameter that will create an exe file instead of a class file (as far as i know).
May someone tell me if this can be done after all and if yes, how?
Isn't it against Java's philosophy?
Thanks..

Answer 1

Can anyone please tell which is the best
Excecutable JAR or *.exe?(1) if you use JAR, and you don't have
any platform-specific assumptions in your Java code,
then your program can run in Windows, Linux, Mac...
But EXE is (in general) only executable in Windows.
(2) if you use EXE or JNI or other similar tricks,
you can often get more intimate interaction with the underlying OS.
So if you need it, then of course you have to do it.
Finally, professional Java->Exe is expensive.
One of the most popular product for doing this is
http://www.excelsior-usa.com/jet.html
And it costs between $1200 and $4500.
Can executable jar files be opened or unzipped to
obtain the .class files?Yes
Can applications written in Java that are made into
exe files be "violated" in any way to obtain the code?Depends on how the EXE was made.
If it is a true re-compilation into x86 instructions,
then it is impossible to obtain the entire original code.
(But it is still very easy to disassemble the interesting
portion of the EXE in order to defeat poorly-written security features
that are in the program)