The Java Foundation Classes (JFC or "Swing") are a complete set of light-weight user interface components that enhance, extend and to a large degree replace the AWT components. In addition to the buttons, lists, tables and trees in the JFC, you will also find a pluggable look-and-feel that allows the components to take on the appearance of several popular windowing systems, as well as its own look and feel. The JFC actually uses a few common design patterns, and we will be using the JFC for most of the examples in this book. Thus, we are taking a short detour to outline how the JFC components work before going on to more patterns.
We should note at the outset, that this package was called "Swing" during development and it was intended that it be referred to as "JFC" upon release. However, the nickname has stuck, and this has led to the Java programmer’s explanation that "it’s spelled JFC, but it’s pronounced Swing."