This document provides an overview of Java applets and introduces some simple example applets. It discusses how applets differ from applications in that they are designed to run within a web browser or applet viewer. It then presents two simple applets - one that draws a single string and another that draws two lines of text. The document demonstrates how to create, compile, and run a basic "Hello World" style applet and provides the code and explanation for both applets. It also references chapters in the text that will provide more in-depth explanations of applet and Java concepts.