isr.co.ro : glossary Applet A small program that performs a limited function on your computer, particularly a program of this type that gets automatically downloaded from a host computer to accomplish some task you've requested. For example, an applet might display a movie or query an airline database. One promise of the Java language now being added to most Web servers and browsers is that it will ease the creation of useful applets but prevent them from wreaking havoc by mistake or design.