How is Alfresco development done with regard to Java? (see details)

Is Java required?  If so, how is it used?  For instance, is it required on the browser or is it something that is server-based?

I'm concerned about the security issues surrounding Java.  Even if the libraries that use have been thoroughly vetted, simply requiring my customer to have Java enabled is essentially a show-stopper for me.

Also, from what I can tell, Alfresco is primarily a document management tool.  In other words, it doesn't appear out of the box to be a solution one would use to build standard office applications that have master detail records, html input forms, calculated fields, reporting engines, that sort of thing.  Is this correct?

Thanks for any input.