JavaWorld News Briefs (4/15/97)

Itinerary Web collaboration software gets new API

Black Dirt unveils VB-to-Java converter

Neuron Data brings you Jewels and Joy

Integrix adds Java GUI to servers and subsystems

Roaster number 3 arrives

Headspace licenses audio engine to JavaSoft

Sun plans to take Java everywhere

Sun chooses KeyLabs to certify Java

Magic trick: Changing old PCs into NCs

HotJava and JDK go Japanese

HotJava Views go straight to OEMs

ILOG’s business rules Java engine

Metrowerks and Microware team to optimize Java

Enter the contest for the best Vibe!

New Beans dev kit released

Microsoft ports part of Win32 API to Java

JTools 2.0 and Serialize.h++ from RogueWave

IBM strengthens its commitment to Java

Digital Chisel get Java and Web authoring tools

IBM produces Java-based mortgage calculator applet

Scalding hot Lava now available for GUIs

Develop enterprise database apps with j.rad

HP-UX gets a Java JIT compiler

Will Sun buy Apple’s Newton?

KeyCorp chooses NetDynamics for enterprise Web applications

Contigo Software announced a new set of APIs for its Itinerary Web Presenter software at the JavaOne conference. These new APIs will enable Java developers to build new applications to work with Itinerary, a Web site presentation and collaboration package. The APIs also will make existing apps usable with the Itinerary engine.

With Itinerary, anyone can become a “pilot” when using a Java-enabled browser and take “passengers” on a tour through a live Web presentation, through multiple sites, even if the pilot and the passengers are in different locations.

http://www.contigo.com/intro duction.html

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Black Dirt Software unveils Convert 1.0, a Visual-Basic-to-Java conversion tool. With Convert 1.0, VB developers can directly translate VB screens into Java source code, complete with examples and a hefty bit of online help. The software also includes sophisticated Java classes for tabbed dialogs and VB-style frames, as well as features for creating email surveys.

These Java classes are available with Convert 1.0.

• BDTab: A tabbed dialog box
• BDFrame: A VB-style frame
• BDPanel: For picture boxes, images, and panels
• BDLayout: A layout manager that repositions and resizes

Convert 1.0 is available immediately for purchase and electronic delivery. The price is set at 9.99.

https://www.blackdirt.com/bdvb.htm A>

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Neuron Data’s two new Java development tools attempt to meet the needs of developers desiring scalable, robust user interfaces and business rules to provide customizable, built-in intelligence in Internet applications, including intranets and extranets. And they’re named Joy and Jewels.

The Joy tool allows the developer to produce commercial quality, high-performance Java GUIs that will run on any Java platform and browser. JOY is made up of advanced class libraries that deliver a single development environment for GUI prototyping to distribution.

Jewels is an easy-to-use functional and scaleable business rules engine that is composed of high-performance, advanced class libraries written completely in Java. Business rules are increasingly recognized requirements for quickly and flexibly adding organizational knowledge and procedures to computing systems. By downloading rules embedded within applets, developers can distribute customizable applets which implement business rules.

• Joy: http://www.neurondata .com/Products/Joy/joy.html

• Jewels: https://www.neurondata.com/Products/Joy/jewels.html

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Integrix announced it has added a Java-based GUI to its server and storage subsystem product lines. The new GUI, when combined with Integrix’s DM100 diagnostic monitor, gives ISPs a way to manage servers, networks, and storage subsystems from any node on the network. They can even manage remotely through the Internet and intranets. Jason Lo, president of Integrix, says, “The addition of the Java GUI to our server and storage product lines will enable the system administrator to monitor the network from any PC, SPARCstation, network terminal and via the Internet. It also gives ISPs with a large number of POP sites the ability to manage server farms remotely 24 hours a day.”

The GUI runs under Solaris, Windows 95 and NT, and is available for the Integrix NS200, RS1 170, and RD10/25, and will be a standard feature on future additions to the lines. It supports the Integrix DM100, a complete diagnostic monitor which displays system conditions, such as temperature, fan health, and power supply. Local configuration can be achieved through onboard LCD display and terminal interface.

Get the GUI now with the NS200, RS1-170, and RD10/25.

http://www.integrix. com/january97/ns200data.html

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Roaster Technologies (a recent spin-off of Natural Intelligence Inc.) debuts the non-developer version 3 of Roaster, its integrated development environment (IDE) for Java on the Macintosh. Some of the new features include

• The ability to create standalone Macintosh applications and applets easily, leveraging the features of the Mac platform.
• Easily created cross-platform zip files from Java classes.
• A central location for frequently used class libraries that makes them visible to the entire environment.
• The ability to add custom Java-based compilers.
• Hundreds of example applets and applications with source code, including a fully functional Web server written in Java.
• A wizard for creating new projects.
• The ability to launch AppleScripts from Java.

Developers (or non-developers) can order Release 3 from the Roaster site with an array of bundled goodies at a special introductory price of 9.

https://www.roaster.com/roaster/r3/

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Headspace Inc., a creator of Internet software technologies for music and sound, has licensed its audio engine to JavaSoft, making it possible fore JavaSoft to add high-quality sound and interactive music to Java.

“We were eager to bring a monumental leap in audio quality to Java applications,” commented Jon Kannegaard, VP of software products at JavaSoft. “With Headspace, we’ve found an ideal solution. It’s high-quality, platform-independent, and completely software-based, giving you capabilities you would only normally get by spending hundreds of dollars on a high-end, 32-bit wavetable sound card.”

The Headspace audio engine, which is not hardware-dependent, should dramatically improve the quality of audio in the Java virtual machine (JVM). The new sound engine will allow any Java platform to play high-quality sound effects, voices, and music. It also is network-aware, allowing sound and music samples to be efficiently assembled from servers, client applications, or hard drives, and dynamically controlled at run time.

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At the JavaOne Worldwide Developers Conference, Sun outlined its overall Java market strategy — to make Java available on devices as big as supercomputers and as small as smart credit cards. Sun plans to take Java into corporate data centers with the Java Platform for the Enterprise, a suite of technologies and products surrounding the new Enterprise JavaBeans initiative. This initiative provides a way to design small program elements that can easily combine to build powerful corporate applications.

Sun also demonstrated how PersonalJava and EmbeddedJava will fit into its mission by illustrating that Java performs equally well in small devices such as PDAs, copiers, and smart cards. PersonalJava extends Java to devices that have displays but no keyboards, such as TVs and photocopiers. EmbeddedJava extends Java to devices with embedded microprocessors and limited memory, such as pagers and cell phones. And JavaCard brings Java to smart cards.

“There has never been a software platform with the power and flexibility of Java,” said Alan Baratz, president of JavaSoft. “We’ve defined a new software industry and are opening the door for developers to a new opportunity of unprecedented proportions.” Some of the changes Sun intends for Java are a more flexible security model, dramatically improved performance, and the new comprehensive Java Foundation Classes (JFCs), which help developers select the look and feel of their applications.

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Sun has chosen Utah-based KeyLabs Inc. to be the certification administrator of the 100% Pure Java initiative. Using tools developed by SunTest, KeyLabs will validate that Java applications comply with the Pure Java specification. Certified applications earn the right to feature the Pure Java logo, so purchasers know they run on a Java-compatible system.

“KeyLabs, with its extensive background in independent network testing and certification programs, is an ideal partner for the 100% Pure Java program,” said George Paolini, director of corporate marketing at JavaSoft. “One of our goals was to guarantee that testing and certification were accomplished in an open and objective manner. As an independent and highly reputable firm, KeyLabs is uniquely suited to the task.”

“We are excited to participate in this significant industry initiative,” said Jan Newman, president and CEO of KeyLabs. “The 100% Pure Java logo is destined to become a brand name that is synonymous with quality for the next generation of software. This will represent tremendous value for developers and serve as a very competitive marketing tool.”

KeyLabs will review applications submitted directly to the company by developers. Developers file a certification fee that entitles them to a license for the same tools that KeyLabs will use to test the product. That way, developers can test their products before submitting them for certification. The certification fee is ,150 per application, and the certification process will take 5 to 10 days once the application has been submitted to KeyLabs. The testing will include both a static code purity test and a dynamic multi-platform test featuring hardware platforms provided by IBM, HP, Apple, and Sun.

For the first 90 days of the program (from April 2 to June 30), developers receive a 00 discount for each application submitted. Developers can register for certification online.

https://www.keylabs.com/100percent/

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With JavaPC, Sun Microsystems introduces a software technology that converts older DOS PCs into network computers.

“JavaPC is revolutionary,” said David Spenhoff, director of product marketing at JavaSoft. “There are 181 million eligible PCs in the marketplace. JavaPC takes these complex machines and converts them into network computers that require almost no software maintenance and provides access to data anywhere. JavaPC lets corporations leverage a whole new computing paradigm with a simple software upgrade.”

“Eligible” PCs include 486 or Pentium machines. The JavaPC software includes HotJava Views (user software with email, scheduling, browser, and name directory access apps), the Java virtual machine, and Java class libraries. The software should be available in fall 1997 for under 00.

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HotJava Browser 1.0 Japanese Edition and JDK 1.1.1 Japanese Edition are Sun’s first Java development tools that have been localized for the Japanese market. Sun also announced the first draft specifications of the Java Input Method API (which should help developers to create sophisticated Java apps for Asian markets) will be available for comment sometime in the second quarter of this year at https://java.sun.com/.

JDK 1.1.1 Japanese Edition is the result of collaboration between Sun, Fujitsu, and Toshiba. The Java Input Method API draft specification was jointly developed by Sun, Justsystem, Apple Japan, and Omron. “We’re excited to announce two firsts today — our first localized Java products, which are also Sun’s first Java products specifically for the Japanese market,” said Jon Kannegaard, VP of software products at JavaSoft.

Sun’s Japanese products should make it easier for developers to write applets and applications directly in Japanese. The appletviewer, localized documentation, the ability to use Japanese directly in the source code, the ability to generate documentation in Japanese from the source code, and the ability to view error messages in Japanese are examples of the functionality this localization provides to Java developers in Japan.

HotJava Browser 1.0 Japanese Edition is the first browser written entirely in Java for the Japanese market. Developers can customize the browser for dedicated applications such as information kiosks and customer self-service stations, displaying a graphical user interface that is entirely in Japanese.

The localized JDK and HotJava Browser will be available in the second quarter of ’97.

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Sun’s HotJava Views 1.0 is now shipping to network computer manufacturers for direct integration into their network computer (NC) devices. HotJava Views 1.0 is a Web-top environment that allows network computer users to access files, email, calendar, and other tools from any desktop device connected to the network.

“The power of HotJava Views lies in its simplicity and ease-of-use,” said David Spenhoff, director of product marketing at JavaSoft. “HotJava Views translates into immediate productivity for corporations. This Web-top computing architecture is re-defining how we think about computing in a corporate setting. The industry is migrating towards this architecture to create and share information, and HotJava Views is the only solution on the market designed specifically for Java Web-top computing.”

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ILOG has started shipping ILOG Rules for Java, a commercial rules engine for both C++ and Java. The ILOG Rules language lets developers manipulate and monitor native Java objects using a powerful rules-based syntax. The Rules compiler turns these rules into an agent class whose instances embed seamlessly into the application or applet code. The agents react quickly, dynamically selecting the right actions to take according to the Java object state. A third-generation implementation of the RETE algorithm permits Rules to deliver high performance by optimizing response time and minimizing memory footprint for Rules agents.

“This product should really advance the development of intelligent Internet applications,” said Mitch Kramer, senior consultant with the Patricia Seybold Group. “I can see a lot of demand, for example, for intelligent electronic forms that self-modify the questions asked based on the user’s previous answers. The underlying requirement is that applications must become more flexible and responsive to business dynamics. It’s a fundamentally sound approach to separate business rules from the application logic and from the database.”

ILOG Rules is available now and works with Visual C++, Visual J++, and Visual Cafe on Windows 95 and NT, as well as with C++ and Java tools for Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, and other popular platforms. Prices start at ,250 for a single PC developer license.

http://www.il og.com/Products/Rules4/html/datasheet.html

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Metrowerks will license its optimized bytecode interpreter and just-in-time (JIT) compiler technology to Microware Systems for use in the Java virtual machine that runs on Microware’s OS-9 real-time operating system. The first implementation is expected for the JVM that runs on OS-9 for the PowerPC.

Jean Belanger, CEO of Metrowerks, was “extremely pleased to license this powerful technology to Microware in order to provide enhanced Java execution on OS-9.” And Ken Kaplan, CEO of Microware, was happy to make the licensing agreement. “Microware is pleased to be able to offer OS-9 developers an enhanced Java experience by integrating Metrowerks’ optimized Java technology into our product offerings.”

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Developers have until July 1, 1997, to submit their applications to the Best Vibe Application Contest held by Visix Software. The rules are simple: Use Visix’s Vibe to create the application. Vibe is an application development environment used to deploy Java-based business solutions ranging from standalone departmental apps to sophisticated distributed apps. Vibe-built applications look and act like native applications built with C or C++.

The prizes:

First Prize: 5,000 (U.S.).

Second Prize: Cruise to Alaska for two.

Third Prize: Bang & Olufsen stereo system.

Fourth Prize: Trek Y22 mountain bike.

Fifth through Tenth Prize: A copy of each of the Vibe suite of tools.

https://www.visix.com/vibecontest

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JavaSoft’s updated Beans Development Kit (BDK) 1.0 is now available. New to the BDK 1.0 are:

• The revised JavaBeans tutorial.
• The removal of all deprecated AWT APIs in the samples and the BeanBox.
• BeanBox and samples now use the new AWT event model.
• The new BeanBox works with Beans developed using the old JDK 1.0 AWT event model.
• BeanBox Wrapper objects now keep track of event listeners associated with each Bean, as well as handle the saving and restoring of the event wiring during serialization.
• New startup frame to tell you when you’re loading and analyzing JARs.
• JAR loader now provides better diagnostics when it encounters problems loading beans from a JAR.
• PropertySheet has new scrollbar support.
• New sample bean, the BlueButton, uses Java externalization to save and restore its persistent state.
• New Edit item to serialize out an instantiated Bean.
• A number of minor bug fixes.

You can get the BDK 1.0 at https://java.sun.com/beans.

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Microsoft is porting key portions of the Win32 API to Java in the form of Java class libraries. The API will be integrated into a future edition of Microsoft’s Java virtual machine.

Microsoft’s plan is to focus on the Win32-on-Java strategy with its complete line of development tools. That includes a new version of Microsoft Visual Basic, code-named Vegas, that automatically generates native Java bytecode as easily as native Windows code. “They’re very, very close to having testable code,” said a project manager of a Fortune 500 enterprise site who has been briefed on the project. “It wasn’t hard for them to plug in the Java code compiler. VB5 today compiles to C++ code. This is the same thing, only Java.”

Microsoft may announce the interim VB upgrade with the Java-conversion technology at the company’s TechEd conference, May 5 to May 9.

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RogueWave announced a new product and a new upgrade, called Serialize.h++ 1.0 and JTools 2.0, respectively, to help cover the C++-to-Java chasm.

Serialize.h++ 1.0 is a C++ implementation of the Java serialization mechanism. Using this mechanism to exchange data and objects with Java applications eliminates the need for the Java code to make native calls to C++ code. It also eliminates the need to have the Java code and the C++ code on the same machine, making it easier to deploy applications, including those using a C++ server and Java clients. It uses small helper objects called ReaderWriters to map C++ classes to Java classes to accomplish data exchange. Pre-built ReaderWriters map key classes in RogueWave’s popular Tools.h++ class library to corresponding classes and data types in the Java core library. And developers can create their own ReaderWriters to provide alternate mappings and mappings for their own classes.

JTools 2.0 complements java.util and java.lang with two powerful packages: the tools package and the format package.

The tools package provides fundamental data structures and utility classes, including a regular expression class (RegExp) and eight essential collection classes: BTree, BTreeDictionary, Slist, Dlist, Queue, BinaryTree, Set, and Bag. Each collection class allows for iteration using the java.util.Enumeration interface.

The format package provides five classes that facilitate formatted output: NumericFormat, TextAlignment, NumericPicture, TextPicture, and QuickFormat.

Serialize.h++ 1.0 is only available in a source code version and is priced at 95 for a single-user license. Support comes for 95. JTools is available as bytecode or source code. The Windows, Unix, or OS/2 versions cost 9 each (support for 9); all three packages cost 98 (support for 8).

Multi-user licenses are also available for both products. JTools 2.0 supports any platform that is JDK 1.1-compatible. Serialize.h++ 1.0 supports Windows 95 and NT, HP-UX, Irix, and Solaris, and requires Rogue Wave’s Tools.h++ 7.0. Both products will be available May 15.

• JTools 2.0: https://www.roguewave.com/products/jtools/jtools.html
• Serialize.h++ 1.0: https://www.roguewave.com/company/pressrel/pr02apr97.html

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IBM has made a set of announcements (and unveiled a set of productivity tools for Java programmers) to publicly affirm its commitment to Java-based technology.

Taligent introduced a new JavaBeans tool — a conversion and migration assistance tool that allows developers to convert an ActiveX component to a JavaBeans component. The tool will be distributed at no additional cost by Sun as part of the JavaBeans Development Kit 1.1. It also will be included in VisualAge WebRunner from Taligent, a new toolkit for developing high-performance JavaBeans and Web server applications.

Speaking of VisualAge, IBM has expanded its family of enterprise development tools. The VisualAge for Java beta is available to help developers create scalable Web-based applications. IBM also plans to integrate the JavaBeans component model into VisualAge products. Plus, IBM is introducing the BeanMachine in late April 97. The BeanMachine (earlier known as AppletAuthor) authoring tool lets non-programmers create Web pages without writing a line of Java code.

OS/2 and AIX will be included in the 100% Pure Java platform testing environment. IBM intends to provide KeyLabs (the Utah-based testing agency) with hardware systems, including the RS/6000 servers and ThinkPad laptops.

The company is contributing to a new embedded Java specification, which addresses use of Java in applications for such devices as office equipment and appliances, and a cooperative initiative with other industry leaders on a specification (called JSQL) that is intended to simplify the process of building business-critical Java database applications.

Find out more about IBM’s Java efforts at https://www.ibm.com/java.

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Pierian Spring Software has a new version of its multimedia authoring tool. Digital Chisel 3.0 is written in Java, and it lets teachers and students create multimedia projects with embedded JavaBeans components. Projects such as interactive models, simulations, graphs, tests, animations, and special effects that can then be published either locally or as Web pages. And because it’s Java-based, Digital Chisel 3.0, previously Mac-only-based software, can now be used on any Java-compatible system.

“The Digital Chisel will now give students and teachers everything they need to create and publish great multimedia on either diskette or the Web,” said Steven G. Bryan, president of Pierian Spring Software. “We think teachers will love the fact that such a powerful program can be easily used by students of all different ages and skill levels.”

Version 3.0 includes

• A WYSIWYG HTML editor.
• An integrated Web browser.
• An easy-to-use visual environment for assembling JavaBeans applet projects called The Workbench.
• database connectivity, and
• Site management with one-button publishing.

The full product is scheduled to ship in June 1997, but you should be able to get a public beta sometime in April.

https://www.digitalchisel.com/

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In concert with CERA Bank, one of Belgium’s largest banks, IBM has developed a Java-based mortgage loan calculator applet. This applet is the initial Java-based offering of the bank’s CERA Online service, which offers retail banking products to clients via the Internet.

“CERA Bank’s mortgage loan project is an excellent example of how IBM is working hand-in-hand with its OS/2 Warp customers to co-develop network computing solutions that provide real business value,” said John Soyring, director of worldwide technical projects for IBM Personal Software Products. “A team of our top developers have been working with CERA Bank to find ways to deliver their banking products via the world of network computing. At the same time we’re protecting their investments in OS/2 Warp, reducing their cost of ownership and taking advantage of new initiatives such as 100 percent pure Java.”

The mortgage loan calculator is a platform-independent, Java-based applet that will allow CERA Bank’s clients to estimate their mortgage loan payments via the Internet, from anywhere in the world. Clients will be able to download the Java applet and enter different loan variables. Outputs such as principal, interests, and various payments can be displayed in either graphical or tabular format.

https://www.cera.be

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Developers can now get the new version of Lava, a Java GUI designer written by Dan Page. Lava 1.1’s new features include

• Multiple component selection/cut/copy/paste.
• Improved editing of components internals, now including colors.
• Support for use of constants in generated code.
• Generation of Java 1.1 code, including event listener skeletons.
• Ability to have components inside other components via recursive edit windows.
• Better user interface with custom button bar and tab panel components.
• A render window to allow on-the-fly viewing of GUIs as interpreted by Java.
• User documentation.

http://www.cs.nott.ac.u k/~dsp/lava/index.html

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JRad Technologies has introduced j.rad, an enterprise-class, 100% Pure Java database development environment. j.rad enables programmers to quickly create and extend highly interactive client applications using the software’s data modeling, repository, optionally tiered deployment, and client application features.

The j.rad development environment runs on Java-capable computing platforms and is fully integrated with popular Java development environments and GUI builders, allowing programmers to develop database applications while using favorite Java tools and platforms. j.rad includes the full source to its application and server class libraries, so developers may drop in the j.rad source code and use existing programming tools to peruse and extend the j.rad classes.

The software also includes InstantApp, a technology for automatically creating a full-featured database client application that includes search, sort, import, and export dialogs. InstantApp generates forms that follow the database’s relationships, which allows developers to instantly create applications with master-detail views.

And it’s fast. “With j.rad’s technology, we created a complete database application to our Oracle servers in a day,” says Eric Knapp, a software engineer at Wisconsin Power and Light.

j.rad 1.0 will ship in the summer of 1997 at a cost of ,495. Developers can download a free Preview Release sometime in April.

https://www.jrad.com/Products.html A>

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Hewlett-Packard claims its new Java just-in-time compiler for HP-UX will push HP past Sun as the fastest Unix Java platform. HP says its compiler (which converts Java bytecode to platform-specific machine code) runs Java applications 13 times faster than pure interpreted code from the Java VM. It also says that tests, such as the CaffeineMark benchmark, show a 30 percent performance increase over Sun’s JIT compiler.

Jeff Littfin, a Java software architect for HP, says that this is not just a numbers-based engineering contest. “In order to really have business-class applications written in Java, performance is the key obstacle or inhibitor. We’re going to execute in the business world, not in the toy, animation world of Java.” He did concede, however, that both HP’s and Sun’s Java performance had slipped below that of Microsoft’s and Netscape’s (with Windows NT).

The JIT compiler is available for download on HP’s Web site. It will soon be loaded into the company’s Domain Internet servers as well.

• Java JIT compiler: https://www.hp.com/go/Java

• Original article: https://techweb.cmp.com/iw/newsflash/nf624/0402_st1.htm

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Even though it spurned Sun’s bid last year, Apple is talking to Sun Microsystems again about the possible sale of Apple’s Newton division to Sun, in a bid to cut costs for Apple.

The Newton division products, the eMate and MessagePad, are selling well, but the division has yet to make money, and its research and development costs may be adding too much strain to Apple’s already considerable losses. Apple has lost 36 million over the past five quarters.

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KeyCorp, a U.S.-based financial services company, has selected NetDynamics Inc.’s products as the standard for development and delivery of its Web-based corporate applications, including KeyCorp’s intranet and extranet applications. This decision follows a successful trial in which KeyCorp used NetDynamics to create an application, called KeyLink, for its corporate trust customers. KeyLink lets customers easily review their portfolios over the Internet. This trial project was implemented over a period of 90 days with just two developers, making it possible for KeyCorp to offer a total of 1,500 users access to their trust account information, which runs on a shared Oracle database via the Internet or CompuServe network.

“NetDynamics understands that, as a major financial institution, we need to be able to develop our applications quickly,” said Michael Onders, VP of advanced development for KeyServices, the services arm of KeyCorp. “Moreover, while the power of the Web is dramatic in reaching our employees and customers all over the country, we need special resources to protect the security of important data and the right technology to allow applications to be used by as many users as necessary.”

With the automatic generation capabilities of Java code by NetDynamics development studio, KeyCorp’s developers have been able to rapidly migrate their client/server programming skills. NetDynamics also offers enterprise scalability through its distributed application server architecture — which means NetDynamics-based applications can keep up with demand as more customers and employees want to take advantage of them.