In this paper we describe the execution model supported by SUMA/G, a middleware built on top of Globus for execution of Java applications on the grid. This execution model allows a user to launch Java applications that will run on a grid from her machine without requiring this machine to be part of the grid (e.g. a gLite User Interface). Additionally, it allows grid users to regard local file systems, i.e. file systems accessible from their local workstations, as part of the set of file systems accessible within the grid. This eliminates the necessity of performing previous uploads of classes and data files, which helps to meet the grid goal of achieving seamless access to distributed resources. We describe how to implement the services offered by this execution model on Globus-based grids. We compare the use of this execution model with the standard mechanisms for submission of Java jobs in LCG/gLite, a flavor of Globus Toolkit 2. We present experiments showing that this execution model can improve performance for running Java applications on Globus-based grids. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.