Java Product News (February 23, 2001)
Tryllian Agent Development Kit features mobile software agents
The new Agent Development Kit (ADK) from Tryllian enables Java developers to build and use mobile software agents to autonomously conduct tasks in an open Web environment. The software development model can be integrated with existing legacy systems, and it enables users to create a unified and personalized interface. The mobile software agents can travel from any software platform to another, such as from a mobile phone to an enterprise Internet database. The Tryllian ADK scales to any size and number of clients and servers, and has state-of-the-art security features. Developers can use the ADK toolkit to enable online order fulfillment and to build object-oriented applications. ADK mobile software agents conduct tasks independently.
The Tryllian Agent Development Kit is available now.
Corda PopChart supports SVG image output
Corda has improved PopChart’s speed and added support for more sophisticated image content. Version 3.8’s PopChart Image Server now supports scalable vector graphics (SVGs). Corda has also included wireless bitmap (WBMP) support to allow WAP-enabled (Wireless Application Protocol) cell phones to receive charts and graphs. Version 3.8 also provides modules for the existing Web server infrastructure. They include an ISAPI module for Microsoft IIS, an Apache module, and a servlet wrapper for Java-based Web servers.
PopChart version 3.8 is now available from Corda’s Website.
Novell offers integration with IBM WebSphere for NetWare
Novell’s IBM WebSphere Application Edition 3.5 for Netware is a Java-based environment for building, deploying, and managing Internet and intranet applications. It supports Java servlets, JavaServer Pages, Enterprise JavaBeans, and XML implementations. Customers can use IBM WebSphere to Web-enable existing business processes by using a combination of Novell Net services software deployed as Java-based applications on WebSphere. Those applications are supported by the identity, customization, and personalization management power of Novell’s NDS eDirectory.
IBM WebSphere 3.5 for NetWare is now available.
Hewlett-Packard introduces Java application environment for intelligent appliances
The Hewlett-Packard MicrochaiVM Java application environment, the micro edition of HP ChaiVM, enables customers to download Java applications to mobile and other devices. HP developed the MicrochaiVM for use in resource-constrained devices such as cell phones, pagers, personal digital assistants, and point-of-sale terminals. It supports the Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) specification and will eventually support the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP). It has a minimum ROM requirement of 37 KB. HP will provide consulting services to help device manufacturers port and customize the MicrochaiVM software environment.
HP MicrochaiVM with CLDC is now available. HP will release MicrochaiVM with MIDP in the third quarter of 2001.
Newpoint Compass 4.0 features new Java applications
Newpoint has given Compass a new Web interface and has redesigned several of Compass’s clients as Java applications. The 4.0 Web interface enables users to view system data from any computer with a Web browser. A new Device Wizard simplifies system configuration and auto-generates device details and overview pages.
IBM adds JIT compiler to VisualAge Micro Edition
The JIT compiler added to IBM’s VisualAge Micro Edition 1.3 speeds the performance of embedded Java applications and monitors the execution of program components by tracking the frequency of use and the execution length. The JIT compiles the routines used most frequently through techniques to improve the performance and executable size. Other enhancements in VisualAge Micro Edition version 1.3 include:
- Library executables repackaged as shared objects, whch reduce the size of runtime Java application support
- Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) based on the Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) JSR00030 Java Community Process specification
- IBM’s new Gateway library configuration designed for constructing service gateway devices
VisualAge Micro Edition 1.3 is now available from the IBM Website.
Unify eWave Engine 4.0 offers J2EE platform
Designed for price-sensitive organizations, the Unify eWave Engine 4.0 meets the latest server-side Java industry standards. The server helps organizations to develop business-to-business and business-to-customer applications and Web-based solutions. The 4.0 release includes enhancements to installation and administration functions and enables customers to use servlets and JavaServer Pages (JSPs). Unify eWave Engine 4.0 is available in two editions: the Unify eWave Engine Access Edition and the Unify eWave Engine Enterprise Edition. The Access edition supports servlets, JSPs, and Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs). The Enterprise edition includes the advanced features required in multiserver configurations.
Both editions are now available from the company Website. Unify eWave Engine Access Edition is priced at 95 per CPU and the Unify eWave Engine Enterprise Edition is priced at ,495 per CPU.
Sitraka Software’s DeployDirector Bundler speeds Java deployment
Sitraka Software has launched DeployDirector Bundler for Java Network Launching Protocol (JNLP), a new development tool that uses Java Web Start to accelerate the deployment of applications across the enterprise. The JNLP is a Java Community Process specification that facilitates the Web deployment of Java 2 technology applications. Sun Microsystems’ Java Web Start is an implementation of the JNLP protocol. DeployDirector Bundler for JNLP works with Java Web Start by automatically generating the XML and WAR files required to deploy the bundle.
DeployDirector Bundler for JNLP is available immediately and can be downloaded for free from the Sitraka Website.
Ontos’s ObjectSpark features JavaBeans
Ontos has released the beta version of ObjectSpark 4.5, which includes the ability to generate JavaBeans components as well as COM components. Used to integrate multiple database applications into a scalable data services tier, ObjectSpark automates the generation of high-performance, transactional data components. It simplifies multiple-database coding by providing a standard component interface between the application code and databases. It implements changes to the database, mapping, and models in generated components that determine the behavior of inheritance, association, aggregation, and composition. ObjectSpark can be used in any Java environment and in Windows DNA architecture.
The beta version of ObjectSpark 4.5 is now available from the company Website for a free 60-day evaluation. Ontos will release ObjectSpark 4.5 in mid-March 2001. The basic developer kit costs 00 and the professional version is ,800.
Borland offers Enterprise Studio for Web and e-commerce applications
The newly released Borland Enterprise Studio Java Edition provides complete design, development, and process management for multitier, Web, and e-commerce applications. The Borland Enterprise Studio comes bundled with Rational Software and Macromedia software for creating enterprise-class applications. It includes the following features:
- Borland JBuilder, a Java development environment for creating business, database, and distributed applications based on the Java 2 platform
- Borland AppServer 4.5, a J2EE application server for creating an infrastructure for an e-business implementation platform
- Rational Rose Modeler 2001, a visual-modeling tool for translating high-level requirements into component-based architecture
- Rational Rose with JBuilder integration, for round-trip engineering between Rational Rose models and Java applications produced by JBuilder
- Rational Unified Process, which enhances methodology for development
- Macromedia Dreamweaver UltraDev 4, authoring software that enables designers, developers, and programmers to create and edit data-driven Web applications on multiple server platforms
S-Plus Analytic Server uses Java to deliver enterprise information
A platform for the analysis and distribution of quantitative information, Insightful’s S-Plus Analytic Server deploys large-scale, multiuser analytical applications via Java software or via the Web using Unix servers. It provides descriptive analysis, predictive modeling, and interactive graphics. It gives users information that helps them identify opportunities, predict outcomes, and reduce risks for an enterprise. Users receive analyses such as financial forecasts, transaction information, business performance, customer behavior, and prediction. S-Plus Analytic Server includes scalable Java enterprise technology, comprehensive data-mining products, interactive graphics, and centralized administration. Based on the Java platform, it has an open architecture that users can integrate with standard database applications.
S-Plus Analytic Server is available for Unix/Linux platforms.