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by Kane Scarlett

News and New Product Briefs (1/5/97)

news
Jan 5, 199737 mins
Software Development

Divya’s infoBook receives 100% Pure Java certification

Divya Inc.’s infoBook has received 100% Pure Java certification. infoBook is a Java-based text and multimedia information presentation manager that often is used for an interactive phone book and product and real estate catalog.

infoBook is primarily used as an applet in Web pages, although it can also be used as a standalone application. And its is certified as both an applet and application.

Divya also plans to get BackOnline, its Java- and browser-based client/server backup software, certified too, according to Divya president and CEO Anil Hemrajani.

Microsoft’s latest Java SDK somewhat more compliant

According to the Extraprise Group’s “Extraprise Alert” newsletter, Microsoft’s latest shipping version of its Software Development Kit for Java 2.01 now provides classes that supports Sun’s JDK 1.02. Sun is now shipping JDK 1.1.5.

The newsletter attributes this move by Microsoft as a response to the swelling ranks of developers and corporate IT managers that are demanding a more open standardized Java. Not to mention that the U.S. District Court is expected to issue a ruling in the Sun vs. Microsoft lawsuit soon.

Survey: Internet, distributed apps well under way

The Extraprise Group’s Advisory Services has released some early results from its Extraprise 100 survey of senior IS staff at Fortune 1000 and emerging companies. And the results show that Web-based applications have found a solid home in corporations.

Some of the early findings include:

  • 81% of the respondents are now developing intranet and extranet systems
  • 60% use Netscape for the standard Web server environment (45% use Microsoft Web servers)
  • 45% use Java for development (39% use Visual Basic)
  • 24% use some sort of push technology

So far, the survey has found that the most popular arenas for Internet applications are marketing, customer support, and human resources.

The complete survey results will be available in January 1998. For more information, email abonde@extraprise.com

Large percentage of Windows programmers writing for both Netscape and IE

In the first of a continuing series of non-sponsored programmer opinion surveys, Evans Marketing Services discovered that of the 300 Windows programmers it contacted, more than 70 percent are writing their apps for both the Netscape and Internet Explorer Java virtual machines (VM).

In Evans’ Summer ’97 Programmer Opinion Survey, the company also found

  • 61.3% are writing Internet apps that use a VM
  • 16.3% are writing for the Netscape VM only
  • 11.9% are writing for the IE VM only
  • 71.9% are writing for both

And what will next year bring for these programmers?

  • 67.1% will be writing VM-targeted apps
  • 11.4% will be writing for the Netscape VM only
  • 12.9% will be writing for the IE VM only
  • 75.6% will be writing for both

The large percentage of respondents targeting both VMs means that many Windows programmers will have to choose broad appeal over browser-specific capabilities, unless Microsoft decides to make its Java derivative more standard.

Of course, browser usage among this group doesn’t reflect development habits. Forty percent use Netscape for surfing, 38.7 use Internet Explorer, and 19 percent use both.

Sun chooses NetResults for ’98 Sun Developer CD

Sun has chosen Innotech’s Java-based NetResults-CD search and index tool for its 1998 Sun Developer CD, a subscriber quarterly on Sun’s current and emerging technologies.

NetResults-CD will allow subscribers to access the CD-ROM publications with any Java-compatible browser. With it, users can create index and search interfaces on the CD. NetResults also gives users an automatic boot and install feature, as well as permitting simultaneous searching of the CD and publishers Web site (so you can keep the information up to date).

Although publishing requirements determine the pricing for NetResults-CD, the standard NetResults-CD Tool Kit starts at ,995 (which includes publishing and distribution rights for 25,000 CDs).

Sun’s Enterprise JavaBeans splits in two

Soon after Sun’s JavaSoft division announced its Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) specification at Fall Internet World in New York, the company split the spec in two to keep the persistence and nonpersistence folks happy. A persistent object is one that retains it original behavior or state.

EJB’s two groups are called Session Beans (which don’t support persistence) and Entity Beans (which do). Version 1.0 of EJB will work with just support for Session Beans, but EJB 2.0 will require the support of Entity Beans. Any object persistence required in EJB 1.0 can be handled by using Entity Beans or a Bean container.

IBM and Oracle cajoled JavaSoft into the nonpersistent version of EJB because they felt it would be too difficult to write persistence EJBs for relational databases immediately. This may be why the specification, intended for release in November, was about a month late.

Next-gen developers sell open logic, not proprietary software

Enterprise JavaBeans technology is helping to form the core for a new breed of independent software vendor — ISVs that are more intent on selling open computing business logic or domain-specific expertise instead of the proprietary hooks. One such ISV is Extensity.

Extensity developed a product called Expense Reporter, a Web application to automate expense reports, expense approval, and expense payment. Expense Reporter is made of Java servlets or server components built on WebLogic’s Tengah Java app server. The components are distributed by way of thin client or applet. (Extensity is also planning to license components by NeuronData and KIGroup.) Company president and CEO Sharam Sasson commented that the company (products to be launched in early 1998) is also working on time-management and purchasing-requisition applications.

Upstream Consulting director John Rymer comments that Netscape typifies this type of company because it “is not dependent on proprietary hooks to sell its software.” He sees a potential explosion in this type of ISV, those that “will build solutions using either Java or ActiveX or Dynamic HTML.”

Andyne GQL Reports gets 100% Pure Java certification

Andyne Computing Ltd.’s GQL Reports’ Web Report Viewer, Java-based report-writing software, has been certified 100% Pure Java. Web Report Viewer is a Java applet embedded within the reporting application.

GQL Reports is an Andyne GQL-integrated report writer. Andyne GQL is a query and reporting tool. With the Web Report Viewer applet, users can access reports from any Java-ready browser without the need for plug-ins. The Web reports generated by GQL Reports are platform-independent.

Andyne is readying other Java applets to use in its Managed Web Environment business intelligence suite (intended for early next year). Applets are being prepared to handle query refreshes and report qualifications. Java-based online analytical processing is expected to be integrated in the following release.

Andyne senior VP of product management Ron Spencer notes that what Andyne is committed to is “basically putting more functionality on the desktop, but without increasing the size of the client applications.”

Visual Cafe for Java gets the thumbs up from Corel

Corel has chosen Symantec’s Visual Cafe for Java (VCJ) as its primary development environment for Java development.

Corel chose VCJ for its rapid application development (RAD) abilities, integrated project-management features, source and visual editors, component libraries, incremental debugging and other tools, and its support for JDK 1.1 and JavaBeans.

Corel president and CEO Dr. Michael Cowpland said, “After extensive evaluation and testing of competing products, we selected Symantec’s Visual Cafe for Java as the foundation of our development efforts. Symantec’s proven track record of support for Java technologies and tools give us confidence [about] moving forward.”

CA’s Masterpiece/Net receives 100% Pure Java certification

Computer Associates Prestige Software International division announced that Masterpiece/Net, its Web-based global financial management system, is now 100% Pure Java certified.

Masterpiece/Net provides enterprise financial information access from Web-browser platforms, whether it’s at the office, at home, or on the road. It includes consolidation, general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, purchasing, fund accounting, inventory control, job cost and labor distribution, and query, reporting, and analysis tools.

CA senior VP/GM Robert H. Toth said, “In addition to providing access via the Internet/intranet and cross-platform compatibility, using Java is cost-effective for Masterpiece/Net clients.” He added, “With Masterpiece/Net, software distribution becomes a thing of the past. Client desktop installation and maintenance are now automatically performed from a central Web server.”

Novell selects WebLogic’s Tengah Java app server for Open Solutions Architecture

Novell has chosen WebLogic Inc.’s Tengah Java application server as the pure-Java server platform for its Open Solutions Architecture (OSA), the framework for NetWare and other Novell products.

Incorporating OSA and Tengah’s suite of Java application assembly and deployment services gives Novell customers and partners the ability to rapidly deliver increasingly complex server-based applications and services. As the Java app server for OSA, Tengah will provide Novell VARs with the tools needed to craft commercial-level Java applications. Tengah’s application assembly services support:

  • Distributed components
  • Distributed objects
  • Database integration
  • Web integration
  • Event management
  • Global directory (NDS)

Novell users can use the Tengah OSA to deploy and manage Java applications developed by Novell VARs or third parties.

Novell senior VP Chris Stone commented that “Together, OSA and Tengah deliver a stable, scalable Java server platform on NetWare that allows us to deliver the manageable solutions for the Internet to meet our customer needs.”

IBM’s LANDP connectivity software gets NT and Java support

IBM has incorporated support for Windows NT and Java applications to its LAN Distributed Platform 4.0 (LANDP), released in December 1997.

LANDP 4.0 already ran on AIX, DOS, OS/2, and Windows 3.x. With the Java and NT support integration, the software should now be proofed for the Y2000 problem, according to company officials.

LANDP 4.0 offers such services as database, communications, and security. These services are independent of the underlying system software and should allow any application running on one of the above specific platforms to access services from a server running on NT. LANDP product manager Archie Kemp said, “This is a piece of software that runs between the application and the operating system. It provides electronic journaling, store and forwarding, software distribution capabilities, and [the] various language-binding needed in distributed data environments, particularly banking, and across architectural boundaries.”

Kemp added that by running the software on a LAN, users get to choose the hardware, application software, and systems software desired for a particular environment. He finished by mentioning that LANDP “provides services which large enterprises need and are not provided by the operating system.”

Corel to post 5m loss

According to company officials, Corel has said that the company expects to post a loss of 5 million in the fourth quarter.

Part of the loss came from inventory lowering in the sales channel. Corel started reducing channel inventory in Q397 when it posted a 2m loss on 4m in sales. These efforts are migrating Corel’s inventory model to one of just-in-time supply. President and CEO Dr. Michael Cowpland hopes that the new model will allow Corel to report more representative numbers in the future.

Part of the loss is from taking a charge for obsolete inventory, and the Corel also snapped up 1.3 million common shares in this quarter (Q497) for cancellation, at the same time raising its cash level to 0m (up from 0m last quarter. Corel’s sales reached 02m in Q497.

W3C moves XML closer to standardization

In December 1997, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) declared that the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) was stable enough to implement on the Web, moving the markup language closer to standardization. The W3C moved the question out of the XML Working Group and handed it over to the 229 member companies, each of which have one vote to approve, approve with changes, or disapprove XML. The vote will occur sometime in January 1998.

Supposedly, with XML (a subset of Standard Generalized Markup Language, or SGML), Web developers will be able to control and display data the way they now control text and graphics, with new forms, database queries, and expanded link capabilities.

Developers will be able to define their own document types, eliminating the need to exactly position page elements in HTML. XML also includes enhanced hypertext-linking abilities, options to improve browser performance, and simpler ways to reuse information across multiple Web pages.

Gartner Group Internet strategies VP David Smith said, “XML is not meant to replace HyperText Markup Language (HTML), but to provide more functionality for certain situations. There are 50 to 100 million Web pages around today, and the vast majority will stay HTML.” Strong interest in the Internet is one of the factors that have moved XML (proposed only a year ago) and other technologies, such as Java, onto the standardization fast-track.

Microsoft may be happy about XML’s (eXtensible Markup Language) apparently speedy move through the W3C’s Working Group, just to take the spotlight off of Java. But the two are not the same animal. XML is an encoding system for Web pages. Java is a programming language.

There are some concerns when it comes to compatibility. XML and HTML are both subsets of SGML, but it doesn’t mean they work and play well together. XML viewers will not view HTML documents. For this to happen, the current W3C HTML Specification 3.2 documents would need to be converted to XML. SGML viewers correctly read XML documents, but you have to convert SGML documents so XML users can use them.

As for features that XML has over HTML, here is a sampling:

  • XML has better hyperlinks
  • Developers can define their own document types
  • Formatting tags are unlimited
  • XML tags can refer to data (as well as display attributes), making communication between databases easier
  • XML is fully extensible for complex presentations.
  • Information is easily reused in other XML Web pages

For more information see the Web sites shown below.

PicPocket Java mobile NC

Concept Technologies, a UK-based wireless communications equipment maker, plans to launch PicPocket, a ,000 Java-based mobile NC, in mid-to-late 1998.

PicPocket will come with the Java operating system preinstalled. Users (workers that spend a large amount of time in the field) will upload applications (Java applets) and data from a network server, through a direct link when they are in the office and over a cellular phone when they are out. It will not have a hard or floppy disk, but will come with a 20MB flash memory chip to store apps and data while the device is in use, off, or when the battery runs out (after about one hour of constant use).

Concept Technologies software development manager Bruce Jackson said that PicPocket will be positioned as a less-expensive (in terms of capital and maintenance costs), more-extensive alternative to notebook computers and PDAs. He said that the expense and difficulty in maintaining a laptop/notebook, and the single-application limits of PDAs are the problems that the PicPocket NC will eliminate. “The notebook computer lets users copy their entire desktop configuration, which is great, but is very expensive and difficult to support in the field. Personal digital assistants can also be used for remote computing, but tend to be used by people with single vertical applications, such as gas companies tracking their workforce.”

Sun/Intel agree to run Solaris on Merced chip

Sun Microsystems and Intel have forged an agreement to run a fine-tuned version of the Solaris operating system on Intel’s next-generation computer chip, called Merced, expected to ship in 1999.

This deal should give Intel a shot at the higher-end server market. And, by linking Sun to the leading processor manufacturer, it should give Sun a perceived stability in a larger market than it’s in currently. It may also give consumers a better choice of operating system (that can handle distributed computing) than is available now — that is, Windows NT. All on market-favored Intel iron.

The companies have also agreed to a cross-licensing arrangement related to microprocessor technologies.

Intel’s NC specification covers the spectrum

According to executives at Intel, the company’s new “lean-client” specification is designed to bring everyone into the distributed computing fold — it includes guidelines to help PC makers to craft leaner clients, and guidelines to construct network servers to support those clients, spanning the old NetPC model down to the real dumb terminals.

Being this inclusive has its advantages, such as being able to drop any “color” out of the rainbow (like the NetPC or Windows-based Terminal) if it become unviable, without having to abandon the entire concept.

And it seems to be gleaning support, partly based on Intel’s market strength. The following software vendors are porting their operating systems/software to the lean-client spec:

  • Microsoft (Windows CE)
  • IBM (WorkSpace On-Demand)
  • Citrix (WinFrame)
  • Novell (NetWare)
  • Network Computer Inc. (NC Desktop and NC Server Suite)
  • SCO (OpenServer, Tarantella, and Network Client)

And the following hardware manufacturers are helping Intel refine its guidelines:

  • Compaq
  • HP
  • IBM
  • Fujitsu
  • NEC
  • NCD
  • Packard Bell-NEC
  • Siemens-Nixdorf
  • Unisys
  • Wyse

The specifications should be available for review in January 1998. And Intel Net client marketing director Ron Peck predicts that Intel’s lean-client devices (based on an embedded 100 MHz Pentium II processors) will be available within the first half of 1998.

What does Intel want from this specification? According to Peck, Intel’s big gain will be in the previously unexplored terminal emulation/replacement arena. For about 00, Peck said, “We’re going to end up with a client device here that is fundamentally a terminal. What we’re seeing is that there are portions of the market that really want terminal characteristics, meaning a device that has very limited or no local execution. And for that portion of the market, that is the device we are defining.”

The HotJava HTML Component 1.1.1 is available

Version 1.1.1 of the HotJava HTML Component (HJ-HTML), a JavaBeans component used to display HTML, is available.

The small-footprint HJ-HTML allows developers to add HTML display capability to Internet/intranet products. The reusable component supports such Internet standards as HTML 3.2 and HTTP 1.1. It also supports custom security managers and is more compatible with lots of Java builder tools.

HJ-HTML costs 99, and comes with royalty-free redistribution rights.

Sun to release Java Point of Sale specification

In January 1998, expect Sun Microsystems to announce JPOS (Java Point of Sale), a specification that will let multiple vendors’ compliant POS devices (cash registers, scanners, and bar code readers, for example) interoperate. JPOS should match the similar features of Microsoft’s OPOS (OLE Point of Sale).

Sun and IBM (and later, NCR and ICL Retail Systems) started working on JPOS about a year ago. And to make sure the JPOS system could steal some of the OPOS thunder (launched in 1995, the complete OPOS architecture is called ActiveStore), Sun mapped JPOS to match OPOS. And the first JPOS applications will run on Wintel systems.

Sun is also working on the JPOS system with Epson America, J.C. Penney, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Kmart, and Sears, Roebuck.

And the Microsoft response: “They’re just taking the OLE POS interfaces and replacing them with Java. We will allow developers to write POS applications in Java if they wish.” (Graham Clark, Microsoft application developers group manager.)

  • Original article: https://www.zdnet.com/pcweek/news/1222/22jpos.html

Java wars: Early temporary injunction hearing will go forward

U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte has denied Microsoft’s request to postpone until June a key hearing in the Sun/Microsoft Java lawsuit. Whyte will preside over the February 27 hearing during which Sun will seek an injunction forbidding Microsoft from using the Java logo pending the case’s final outcome.

And it seems that Java developers, tired of seeing how the possible future of Java will shake out, are happy about the early hearing.

Giga Information Group senior analyst Rob Enderle put it succinctly: “As long as there’s a cloud over [the direction of Java], developers are unlikely to adopt either.” And although he doesn’t think the battle will be swift, the possibly quick temporary injunction hearing may be enough to see how the court is leaning.

  • Original article: https://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,17661,00.html?owv

McKesson builds distributed sales tool application

McKesson Corp., a pharmaceuticals distributor, has crafted an internal, object-oriented, thin client application for its sales force called InfoLink.

InfoLink delivers real-time access to the company’s 1,200 remote sales reps with notebook PCs, forever-current access to product, customer, and commission data. The app uses Java servlets and JDBC connectivity to deliver data from its various S/390, Unix, and NT application servers.

McKesson technology VP Charles Nettles said, “If we had instead gone with CGI and HTML, the costs would have been astronomical. There’s no ability to build or reuse code and business logic, as there is with objects. For a dynamic system that will ultimately serve 7,000 customers and 1,200 sales reps, it’s cost- and time-prohibitive.”

Nettles said that McKesson’s shift away from mainframe terminals and fat clients came when, two years ago, the company bid and won a Department of Defense (DoD) contract to develop a browser-based system to order drugs for the DoD’s entire Pacific Rim staff. The company built the system, based on Netscape clients and server using only CGI and HTML. And it worked.

But this traditional Web-based model wouldn’t scale up from the single-customer system to one that McKesson could use for its own purposes — a continent-wide distributed dial-up network for 8,200 customers — without driving costs up. And that was unacceptable to McKesson policy of strictly adhering to TCO (a type of financial analysis) standards. According to Nettles, “Any of the major projects that we’re proposing involve a TCO financial analysis prior to investing in the project. Being driven by TCO gives us the opportunity to develop in a TCO environment, and it’s much more effective.” He continued, “TCO allows me to centralize the data and the server architecture, which allows me to maintain currency. Currency means everyone sees the same numbers, instead of having the data widely distributed. And frequently not quite in sync.”

Java salvaged the knowledge that came from the DoD project. With InfoLink, the application and database servers are built in Java and use servlets to exchange data, business rules, program code, and messages between the various servers and users. Everything runs on Netscape Enterprise Servers, with client user interfaces rendered as pure HTML. The salespeople with the Windows 3.1/Navigator 3.0 notebooks dial in and link up to the Oracle7 database, where they not only have access to constantly updated information, but they can dice and slice that info using the servers’ processing power to chart purchasing and usage trends.

For the future, Nettles says that all of McKesson’s systems (except for human resources and financials) will be replaced with distributed-object thin clients before 2000.

Infospace SpaceSQL delivers Web access to data warehouses

Infospace delivers SpaceSQL 3.0, a Java-based Web access tool to data warehouses.

This version of SpaceSQL introduces a Java charting feature that supports dynamic drill-down into information, a new security module for extranet deployment, enhanced query performance, and a new user interface. Also in SpaceSQL 3.0, you’ll find:

  • Pure Java User and Server Administration modules to facilitate management of large environments from multiple locations. The Server module provides a record of server usage for auditing performance, enables real-time monitoring, and gives administrators the ability to cancel queries.

  • The Security Session Manager component (consisting of a proprietary Java request broker and the secure socket layer protocol, SSL), which offers secure data access past the firewall, making extranet deployment more secure.

  • The ability to generate dynamic queries/reports (report-level security) that customize themselves to the user, including automatically recognizing individual user’s privileges.

  • Enhanced HTML formatting, which includes automatic adjustment of column widths, and the ability to present multiple reports and charts in a frame-based layout.

SpaceSQL 3.0 should be available by the time you read this. Pricing is expected to be based on the number of concurrent users.

Security-7 debuts SafeGate gateway-based security software

Security-7 Ltd. announces SafeGate 1.1, a gateway-based, scaleable security software that offers real-time control of Java applets and ActiveX components that come to your enterprise network from the Internet.

SafeGate 1.1 acts as an addition to the corporate network firewall. It supports digitally signed objects from a list of “trusted” CAs (Certificate Authorities), which is editable by the administrator responsible for network security. The software examines every type of executable object (dynamic linked libraries and executables, as well as Java and ActiveX offerings) and creates an instant analysis of each object to make sure it doesn’t violate the corporation’s security policy.

Here’s a quick look at other SafeGate 1.1 features:

  • It is gateway-based, which means that only one installation is needed to provide, administer, and evolve security for the entire network. It supports multiple gateways and multiple policies per gateway.

  • It relies on packet processing, which means that it segments components into smaller packets for inspection. This makes analysis faster.

  • It uses kernel-based analysis, which means it can process applets at the operating system’s core level. This allows the system to be co-resident with the firewall.

  • It contains a set of centralized object-oriented management tools for modifying security policies and managing and analyzing data.

  • It uses packet processing from the gateway, making it scaleable for thousands of users.

Available now for Windows NT, SafeGate costs ,990 for 25 workstations, ,990 for 50, ,990 for 100, ,990 for 250, and ,990 for unlimited usage. The company plans a version for leading Unix platforms in 1998.

Groupe Bull readies Java smart card for ’98

Groupe Bull is jumping into the smart card arena with its plans to debut a Java-based smart card in 1998.

The company will stick with an 8-bit processor (rather than moving to a 32-bit processor like Gemplus, one of its competitors), and (in conjunction with component supplier SGS-Thomson Microelectronics SA) will up the card’s RAM from 256 bytes to 1K, since Java tends to nosh heavily on RAM.

Why go this direction? Groupe Bull officials say that it is difficult and expensive to manufacture 32-bit smart cards, and the strategy for these first cards is to manufacture them inexpensively, until the company can determine whether the high-end e-commerce versions (currently only about 1 percent of smart card sales) will take in the market or not. Of course, Groupe Bull does have plans on the drawing board for a 32-bit card that would debut in 1999.

Groupe Bull plans to show a prototype of its card at a smart card show in London in February 1998.

Original article: http://www.javaworld.com/jw-01-1998/jw-01-idgns.smartcard.html

The final JDK for Digital Unix available

Digital’s Java Development Kit 1.1.5 for Digital Unix, final release, is now available.

This final release includes:

  • An improved Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler to provide better runtime performance over the interpreter-based VM

  • A POSIX threads implementation to provide increased performance on multi-processor systems

  • The first JDK 1.1.5 on a 64-bit Unix system

  • Increased interpreter performance over the JDK 1.0.2

  • Complete compatibility with the Java Compatibility Kit (JCK)

The Digital Unix version is also completely in line with all of JavaSoft’s bug fixes.

The JDK 1.1.5 requires Digital Unix 4.0A or later.

Oracle’s Ellison does little to soothe investors

Avoiding any real answers on Oracle’s recent market losses, CEO Larry Ellison quickly quipped at a news conference the recent Internet World show before handing the task off to other Oracle executives. He said, “It’s fortunate we’re talking about the network computer. If you lost a lot in the market like I did [approx. billion], you can save a fortune with network computing.”

Oracle worldwide marketing senior VP Karen White carried on, attributing the severe drop in the last quarter to the Asian market troubles and an internal reorganization. She defended Oracle’s strategy of focusing on its network computer business. (Some analysts connect this focus away its database product as part of the recent market drop.) She added that “We are in two businesses — low-cost computing and high-value business applications. We moved from a vendor of databases to a solution provider.”

White also noted that Oracle hopes the introduction of a series of new network-centric products (Application Server 4.0, Internet Commerce Server 1.1, Payment Server 1.0, and Java-enabled Lite 3.0 database) will refuel revenue growth, but cautioned that it all depends on the speed with which existing and new clients migrate to network computing.

Unidata intros Java Relational Binding middleware

Unidata is debuting Java Relational Binding (JRB) middleware development environment, a product that provides automatic translation between the Java classes and the relational schema. JRB allows developers to program in Java while making their Java objects retain persistence as the objects read and write into and out of relational databases (RDB).

Using the description of a set of Java classes and a description of RDB read/write methods for Java objects, the JRB development environment automatically generates the relational schemes necessary. That way, developers can manage persistent Java objects without knowing their location in the database.

The JRB runtime version runs atop a JDBC-compliant layer and on the platform’s native interface. It also manages an object cache, which lets applications use stored procedures in the database. (The JDBC-compliant version is written solely in Java. The native relational version is also all Java, except for the thin interface layer to the RDB.)

Available now, JRB starts at ,000 per developer seat. (Check with Unidata for a limited-time offer of 95/1 seat and 95/3 seats. It runs on Windows NT and Solaris.

Objectivity for Java database interface available

Objectivity announces that Objectivity for Java, its Java language interface for the Objectivity/DB object-oriented database management system, is now available.

Objectivity for Java was designed with OEMs, ISVs, and IS organizations in mind, especially those developing highly scalable, distributed Java applications containing complex data models, petabytes of data, and thousands of clients. It is a multithreaded Java binding implementation that supports sophisticated Java apps, using the Java Native Interface (JNI) to integrate a single-process model. It also provides language binding that complies with the ODMG 2.0 standard.

Objectivity for Java is available for Windows NT and Solaris, packaged with the company’s Objectivity/DB. Developer licenses cost between ,000 and 2,000.

  • https://www.objectivity.com/Products/Java/Objy5JAVA.htm

SpotCheck simplifies Java code clean-up

GenieWorks introduces SpotCheck, a language-based editor designed to help Java programmers produce correct code without having to understand compiler feedback.

SpotCheck finds the usual compiler-identified syntax errors and semantic errors, such as undefined names or type mismatches, after each edit, so the programmer gets immediate feedback. The software uses the following features to aid programmers:

  • Smart links to name declarations
  • Cross-referenced Java APIs
  • Editing with pop-up menus
  • Interfaces to helper apps to compile and run
  • Hierarchical project browsing
  • Color-coded syntax

SpotCheck performs constraint checks (tests to find the constraint problems that represent about 90 percent of typical errors).

SpotCheck runs on MacOS platforms (7.0 or better), with both native PowerPC and 68K versions available. (The company is working on a Java-hosted, Windows 95/NT version.) It costs 9 per desktop, and is sold on a subscription model that offers licensed use of the purchased SpotCheck, indefinitely; updates for that version and unlimited technical support (through email) for one year; inclusion on user newsletters, update announcements, and renewal notices mailing lists; and a yearly renewal price of 75 percent of the new purchase price.

Netmosphere’s ActionPlan project collaboration software gets upgraded

Netmosphere’s ActionPlan, a Java-based, real-time project collaboration software application designed for use over an intranet/extranet by dispersed workgroups, has some new features.

Here’s a quick look at the new features:

  • Project Roll-ups allow teams to coordinate with one another by selectively sharing milestones and tasks. Managers can build department-wide plans by combining summaries of many team project plans into an easy-to-track master plan — the individual team plans can be created in ActionPlan, Microsoft Project, or any planner that supports the MPX format.

  • The Availability Planner shows project managers who is working on certain projects, as well as the individual’s other time commitments (including the all-important vacation time).

  • Off-line use allows team members to access the plan remotely through a Web browser or Marimba’s Castanet. Schedules and to-do lists are automatically synchronized whenever the remote user reconnects to the network.

  • HotSheet is a real-time communication component that automatically delivers task-status information to the team using push/pull technology. Users not only can have their tasks delivered over the intranet, but they can choose to have HotSheet tasks delivered by email.

  • Enhanced Templates make it easier to create reusable project templates.

To use ActionPlan 2.0, user desktops/laptops must have a Java-enabled browser. The ActionPlan client costs 00 per user; the HotSheet client and email service is 0 per user. Each department also needs to purchase the ActionPlan JAS for workgroups; it handles up to 500 users for 0,000.

Digitivity’s CAGE 2.0 Java applet security router available

Digitivity has released version 2.0 of its CAGE Java applet security router. The new version allows administrators to route applets to multiple CageServers.

With CAGE 2.0, network administrators can route applets (via the Digitivity AppRouter) to multiple servers while also getting more fine-grained controls and policy management over Java, JavaScript, and ActiveX controls originating from the Internet.

“With the ability to route applets to any number of servers, the 2.0 release of the Digitivity CAGE can be very cost-effectively scaled to virtually any size organization (from small departments to the entire enterprise,” said Dr. Andrew Herbert, Digitivity CTO.

CAGE 2.0 costs ,500 for a 25-concurrent-users license. It supports Sun’s JavaStation.

Core Technology’s CTCBridge T27 gets printing enhancements

Core Technology’s CTCBridge T27 terminal emulation software for Java, version 1.20, will get three printing enhancements this first quarter of 1998.

CTCBridge T27 for Java is a full T27 emulator, and will be extending support for the following three printing options — printer pass-through, HTML screen print, and JPrint screen printing.

Printer pass-through allows the user to open one or more printer environments and print host-generated reports on any printer, whether the printer is attached to the user’s PC or on a network. The administrator can control whether a user can open a printer environment.

HTML screen print opens up an extra browser window to display terminal screen information. Users select the browser’s print feature to print the page. It is available for all Java implementations.

JPrint is a library used by Core Technology in Windows implementations of Java. It provides a direct method of printing to any configured Windows printer.

AgentSoft debuts LiveAgent Pro automation tool

AgentSoft Ltd. announces LiveAgent Pro, an application tool that lets Internet/intranet users to rapidly automate “data diving” Web activities. LiveAgent Pro is certified 100% Pure Java.

LiveAgent Pro comes with some predefined automation routines, and uses a simple record/replay method for creating automation routines. The user performs a data extraction, letting the software record the user’s actions. Then, the user replays the action to glean data from other sources. The user also can set variables for decisions or branching to be performed. The record/replay environment creates a Java program that is easily integrated into existing Java environments, including classes and templates.

Each automation routine uses an intelligent agent (rendered in Java or JavaScript) that acts just like a person working through a browser. The agents can interact with HTML pages (filling out forms, clicking on buttons, selecting from list boxes, starting search engines), and the parameters can be set to return only certain portions of individual page’s data back to the user. Agents can be designed with conditional branching and looping capabilities. Agents are editable on a fine-grained level. Agents from other programming languages can also be engaged by LiveAgent Pro’s agents.

LiveAgent Pro sells for 99. AgentSoft also offers agent-customizing services.

AlphaBlox Enlighten for building custom data-analysis apps

AlphaBlox plans to release Enlighten, a component-based application development system for Web-based data-analysis applications, early in 1998.

Enlighten, which is used for building and deploying data-analysis apps for such business-critical areas as sales, customer retention, and risk analysis, will include Java-based components called Ready-to-Use Building Blocks; InterBlox, an application assembly framework; and BASE (Blox Application Server Environment), a server environment for distributing applications over the Web.

The Enlighten applications will run within a Web browser and can be developed within HTML environments, such as Microsoft FrontPage and Netscape Visual JavaScript.

Boundless NCs expand into Asian markets

Boundless Technologies has signed an exclusive contract with Singapore-based IPC Corp. to market Boundless NC and text-based terminals in Asia, Australia, the Indian subcontinent, and some Middle Eastern countries.

Under the contract, IPC will not only distribute Boundless NCs in the regions, but it will also provide technical support for Boundless products. IPC will market the Boundless Viewpoint TC thin client as the IPC Viewpoint TC.

To drum up support for the Boundless line, the companies are planning a series of product shows that they will take on the road in India, China, and Singapore.

IPC Executive Director/CTO Alfred Ngiam said, “Network computing has emerged as a significant computing and communications alternative and IPC has acknowledged [that] the partnership with Boundless is tremendously significant to IPC as it facilitates entry to a networking market in Asia traditionally represented by fat-client environments. With the Boundless range [of products], IPC can penetrate the region with a competitive edge, given the thin client’s cost-effective advantage in terms of centralized administration and control.”

  • https://www.boundless.com/network/tc/TC_200_front.htm

“Something Special’s in the Air”: AA goes NC

In November 1997, the American Eagle division of American Airlines bought 365 IBM Network Stations to replace the terminals it used to order parts and track inventory. The NCs will link to an existing HP 3000 midi-frame. And this is only the first step — the company has plans to replace tens of thousands of the 3270 terminals it uses for passenger services with NCs. In essence, the IBM NCs will be replacing not only general terminals, but also specialized terminals and PCs.

American Eagle communications and systems director Duane Stanley sees this NC replacement as a way to lower costs and maintenance headaches, as well as to integrate disparate existing systems. “Some of our users have three devices on their desks — an HP terminal, a 3270 terminal, and a PC for email. With the Network Station, we can consolidate all of those at a cost that’s much less than what we’re spending now.”

Performance and security are still critical concerns, though, since TCP/IP is not as fast or as secure as a direct SNA connection to the mainframe. But, to whip that problem, American Eagle will use a different interface for mainframes than it used for the HP midrange server, according to Stanley. “We thought we’d have to put the NC servers out at each site, but it turns out that the best location for the servers really is back in the computer room — they’re easier to manage there, and there’s no performance problem.”

HP offers Citrix NT ICA for its thin client Netstations

Hewlett-Packard will offer Citrix Systems’ multiuser ICA-based NT software on its Netstation network computer, due early in 1998.

The Netstation (starting at 00, no monitor) has embedded Citrix ICA clients for DOS, Windows, and Java. As a Windows protocol, ICA separates application logic from the user interface and performs all application execution on the server. With ICA, applications consume only about one-tenth of the normal network bandwidth over dial-up, WAN, or LAN connections.

The deal with Citrix allows HP to offer its customers an alternative to its current multiuser NT software, NTrigue from Insignia Solutions.

RHI Consulting survey: More executives prefer NCs

A survey by RHI Consulting, a specialized IT professional staffing service, concludes that 57 percent of the 1,400 CIOs surveyed (from U.S. companies with more than 100 employees) prefer the thin client computing model. In other words, they have or plan to have NCs online in three years. The main reason: Easier (therefore, more cost-effective) centralized administration, deployment, and support.

One of the questions was Based on what you have seen or heard about the network computer (NC), or thin client, how likely are you to implement this technology in your company within the next three years? On the positive side, 25 percent answered “very likely,” 21 percent said “somewhat likely,” and 11 percent said they had already integrated NCs — 57 percent.

On the negative/undecided side, 21 percent were “somewhat unlikely,” 17 percent were “very unlikely,” and 5 percent didn’t know.

Another question was Which one of the following do you see as the most important benefit of the network computer versus the personal computer? Forty-two percent liked the centralized administration, 21 percent cited the savings on TCO, 14 percent liked having more control over users, 8 percent preferred the better security model, and 3 percent liked the increased ability to share data. Only 2 percent could see no benefits.

FOSE and FEDnet/FEDimaging trade shows changes hands

The Washington Post Co.’s new Post-Newsweek Business Information business unit (PNBI) has purchased two trade shows from Reed Exhibition Companies, a unit of Reed Elsevier — the Federal Office Systems Exposition (FOSE) and FEDnet/FEDimaging.

FOSE, held each spring in Washington D.C., is the largest trade show for federal, state, and local government IT managers. The show (which draws more than 400 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees) features the latest integrated IT products and services, and provides instructions for the newest technologies. The next FOSE is scheduled for March 1998.

FEDnet/FEDimaging, held each fall in Washington D.C., is designed to provide a comprehensive education on networked computing needs with 11 tracks and more than 60 sessions, from the basics to advanced instruction. Attendance is usually around 10,000. The last FEDnet/FEDimaging was held in December 1997.

PNBI president Andrew Jacobson said that the new unit plans to retain the current Reed Elsevier employees for their experience in creating and managing the trade shows’ content, and for their experience with the government customers. He added, “The combination of the Reed Elsevier and TechNews [resources] creates a competitive advantage with a powerful circulation reach for advertisers.”

Washington Post’s TechNews buys Cahners’ federal computer mags

The Washington Post Company (WPC) is purchasing several computer trade magazines from Cahners Publishing (a subsidiary of Reed Elsevier Inc.) for its TechNews Inc. subsidiary, forming a new business unit to be known as Post-Newsweek Business Information Inc. (all controlled-circulation publications).

TechNews publications already available include:

  • The bi-weekly newspaper Washington Technology (executive technology overviews, with a current cover story on NCs this month)
  • The bi-weekly magazine Integration Management (technology and network management)
  • The bi-monthly magazine TechCapital (technology investment)
  • The annual directory Technology Almanac

The Washington Post Co. is purchasing the following publications:

  • Government Computer News, an IT trade paper targeted at government technology managers and buyers
  • Reseller Management, a monthly magazine for VARs

WPC president Alan G. Spoon noted, “The Washington Post Company is serious about deepening our coverage of the information technology community, particularly in the Washington region. We intend to bring The Post Company’s traditional high-quality editorial resources to this fast-growing field.”

Andrew Jacobson, the president of the new unit, added that the acquisition will give the new unit “strong positions in three fast-growing technology industry segments: government computing, value-added resale and systems integration, and technology finance.”

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