Why do applets not need a main()?

Question

This applies to subclasses of Applet, Servlet, Midlet, etc.

Why do they not need a main()? If I wanted to create a Craplet class that start

Answer 1

The executing environment of an applet (typically, your web browser) calls the applet methods at different points depending on what stage of rendering the it's reached. That provides a level of abstraction that's better suited for the web than a simple main() method. Further, launching arbitrary Java programs with main() methods would usually be considered something of a security risk.