News and New Product Briefs (7/15/98)

IBM DB2 gets new smell with Project Garlic

IBM’s Project Garlic is a plan to integrate the ability to manage XML, HTML, and other types of text documents into the company’s DB2 Universal Database RDBMS. The goal: To make DB2 into a universal data-management system.

To achieve that goal, IBM developers need to make the DB2 database software understand text-based information as well as it does relational data. Currently, the best software effort in that direction is the ability to manage text-based documents as long character strings (with the DB2 Text Extender).

XML may be the key because the technology allows document tagging that facilitates searching.

Project Garlic has no set delivery date, but officials say the technology will be implemented as object extensions to DB2 and would probably first be seen in DB2 or DataJoiner technology (used to manage relational data from different databases).

ASP Web bug on NT found

The NTBugtraq security mailing list recently reported the $DATA bug, a bug that exposes ASP (Active Server Page) source code in the NT filesystem.

Hidden script code can be revealed simply by typing “::$DATA” at the end of an ASP Web site. (The $DATA code refers to ASP’s main data stream, the part that stores primary content.) Then, hackers can download a copy of the server app and its passwords, essentially exposing the sensitive information in the file.

Consultant Russ Cooper, who runs NTBugtraq, discovered “very few sites that were not affected of the more popular sites . . . including www.microsoft.com and my site.”

Check out the various fixes Microsoft engineers have crafted for the problem.

Fixes for IIS 3.0 and 4.0: NTBugtraq:

Netscape kills Java VM

Netscape recently officially killed the pure-Java browser project because, according to Netscape VP Marc Andreessen, “Java on the client doesn’t work, and we at Netscape have done an about-turn on client-side Java in recent months.” The company has, however, turned it over to the Mozilla freeware community.

Other industry watchers contend that the reason Netscape is giving up client-side Java development is that it doesn’t have the resources to do it. And many developers think that it doesn’t really matter, what with the availability of Sun’s Java Plug-In 1.1, which lets Java applications run on either the Netscape JVM or IE’s version.

Original article:

Object International offers platform-free UML modeler

Object International announced Together/J 2.0, a platform-independent UML modeler that provides simultaneous round-trip engineering.

New features in version 2.0 include:

Collaboration and scenario views UML diagrams
Customizable code construction
HTML, frames, and image map file generation of all diagrams
Access to external tools
The ability to import and export from Rational Rose
IDL generation
Customizable export from Java APIs to Together’s transient repository

The software comes in four editions: Whiteboard, Standard, Developer, and Enterprise.

Whiteboard offers simultaneous design-and-code editing that lets developers either design first, code first, or do both at the same time. It features UML class and package diagrams. Whiteboard is designed for single programmers building applications in Java or C++, as well as for analysts, designers, and programmers.

The Standard Edition incorporates multiframe HTML documentation-generation and wall-chart printing. It includes external tools access. Its target audience is small-company design groups working in one language.

The Developer Edition adds customizable code construction and reverse engineering. It also includes such UML diagrams as use-case, package, class, sequence, collaboration, and state diagrams. It includes Rational Rose import and export facilities. It audience is for mid-sized company development groups, all working in one language.

The Enterprise Edition adds features designed for enterprise-wide application development, including customizable documentation generation and information export, using Java as the scripting language. The Enterprise Edition is designed for engineering in multiple languages.

The Whiteboard Edition is available free for a limited time. The Standard edition costs 50, the Developer edition costs ,400, and the Enterprise edition costs ,600 (all U.S. prices). Together/J 2.0 runs on Linux, NT/95, OS/2, and Solaris.

Together/J 2.0:

Sun purchases NetDynamics

Sun announced that it is in the process of purchasing NetDynamics Inc., a company that specializes in enterprise network applications and app server software and tools.

According to Sun COO Ed Zander, “Sun will gain a critical component for the enterprise solutions that companies working on next generation network applications are demanding. Sun is committed to providing customers with the best implementations of the Java technology. Using this [NetDynamics] technology as the foundation, we will add our implementation of Enterprise JavaBeans to provide our customers with the solutions they are seeking.”

Sun plans to keep shipping and supporting NetDynamics’ current product line.

It is planned as a stock-for-stock merger.

PowerSQRIBE 2.0 available

Version 2.0 of the PowerSQRIBE Java-based query/analysis tool is now shipping in three versions.

The chief enhancement (other than the three new versions — Workgroup, Enterprise, and Unplugged editions) is that the software is integrated with the company’s ReportMart system reporting product.

PowerSQRIBE is shipping on CD-ROM for AIX, HP-UX, NT, and Solaris; pricing starts at 9 per user.

Blue-Line/On-Line licenses Arnona’s Java CADViewer

Arnona Internet Software announced that Blue-Line/On-Line (a supplier of Internet-based project-management services) has licensed its Java-based CADViewer Pro.

CADViewer Pro provides a Java viewer for DWF and SVF files (the only one endorsed by Autodesk), so customers (such as those of Blue-Line) can see and annotate CAD drawing without having to install any software on their PCs. Any redlining to drawings can be saved back to Blue-Line’s ProjectNet system. (DWF is Drawing Web Format; SVF is Simple Vector Format.)

CADViewer also comes in a stripped-down free version, CADViewer Lite.

Vendors create Java security forum

Several vendors, including Computer Associates, Symantec, and Finjan have joined the International Computer Security Association to form a consortium to combat destructive Java applets and ActiveX controls. It’s called the Malicious Mobile Code Consortium, or MMCC.

The goal of the consortium is to help corporations protect resources from deliberate and accidental attacks over the Internet. The MMCC will focus on:

Corporate and consumer education
Development of product-certification standards and testing
Creating a venue information/idea exchange

Projects already under consideration include:

A series of published papers to define the current Internet threats, explore the security solutions, and offer advice on baseline requirements for Internet security
Development of standardized criteria against which active content products could be tested
A research study to publish the nature and extent of the malicious code problem
Education for the corporate and consumer communities

Other charter members include Advanced Computer Research, Cybermedia, Digitivity, Dr. Solomon’s Software International, eSafe Technologies, Internet Security Systems, Quarterdeck, Security-7, and Trend Micro.

Autodesk goes for Java

Autodesk is offering an AutoCAD-enabled JVM that works via ActiveX automation in lieu of embedding a JVM in it latest release of AutoCAD, version 14.

Autodesk officials claim that by not embedding a JVM, then the users that don’t need Java capabilities don’t have the additional overhead.

According to Diana Helander, Autodesk product marketing manager, “We’re finding that our customers are working in teams. The core AutoCAD users are exchanging design information with people who may not be using CAD software at all. This is where Java has a key role.”

AutoCAD 14 is sold through resellers. List price is ,750.

Oracle8.1 upgrade to include JVM

Oracle announced the Oracle8.1 database upgrade, due by the end of 1998, will provide various enhancements, including better Java support.

The 8.1 upgrade will offer improvements in Java support, Internet abilities, warehousing, and extensions, as well as offer better availability and simpler operation.

This version will include a Java VM, allowing users to run Java code within the database and letting developers craft Java stored procedures and triggers. And the company is already beta testing the integration of this VM with its Java development tools. According to executive VP of International Oracle Users Group (Americas division) Rich Niemiec, the tools integration will “make it easy for Java developers to jump right into Oracle.”

It will ship to beta testers in August. And Oracle plans to make it available to PC server vendors so they can bundle it as a standard feature on NT servers.

Java hearing postponed

In the seemingly eternal process of the Sun/Microsoft Java lawsuit, the July 31 hearing (in which the two plan to argue for and against a temporary injunction on Windows 98 and MS Java tools) has been postponed until September 4. And it’s something on which both companies agreed.

Both Sun and Microsoft filed a joint stipulation to ask for the postponement. According to Sun’s corporate affairs manager Lisa Poulson, “There is a huge amount of work to be done and there’s no need for us not to be reasonable. We are just now getting access to certain information from Microsoft.” The Microsoft spokesperson agreed.

Sun’s motion to unseal certain documents it claims pertains to the case will still be heard on July 31.

Vervet Logic releases XML Pro 1.0 tool

Vervet Logic announced XML Pro 1.0, an XML editor that lets users build and edit documents using the eXtensible Markup Language.

According to company officials, XML Pro 1.0 starts with an intuitive GUI. It also features:

A document tree outline view to help preserve document structure
XML validation support with Document Type Definition (DTD) integration
An Element Wizard to help build/manage elements
An Attribute Wizard to help create/manage attributes
Support for entities, CDATA, and XML comments
XML code preview
Printing support

XML Pro supports the XML 1.0 specification from the W3C, and it runs on Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0. XML Pro 1.0 is available for 50.

DeNova offers J’Express upgrade

DeNova announced J’Express 2.1.3, an upgrade to DeNova’s cross-platform Java installation, automatic updating, and distribution software.

With the upgrade support, developers can use a GUI to build Java installers that easily integrate with Swing. They can also build an applet-based installer which supports the Java Plug-In.

J’Express 2.1.3 also frees target machines from having to host a Java VM before the app can be installed. The software automatically installs the most popular JVMs.

J’Express comes in the Standard and Professional editions. Standard comes with a wizard to create the installer and updater and costs 9. Professional adds customization, finding classes, and distribution abilities for 99 per developer. You can also get an evaluation version.

J Street Mailer upgrade adds support for Java 1.1.6

InnoVal Systems Solutions announced J Street Mailer 3.0, an upgrade for its Java-based e-mail manager.

The new version supports Java 1.1.6. (IBM recently released a version for OS/2 Warp which also supports Warp Server and WorkSpace on Demand. Java 1.1.6 for Windows 95 and NT 4.0 platforms is available from Sun Microsystems.) The new J Street Mailer also works on any OS that supports Java 1.1.6.

Also in version 3.0:

Users can invoke Navigator or HotJava browser by clicking on Web page e-mail links (OS/2)
Support for Communicator 4 (OS/2 Warp) and the Opera browser (OS/2)
Two integrated browser Beans, the HotJava Component Bean and ICE browser Bean, for viewing Web links and HTML-format e-mail
Support for text pasting from the clipboard

J Street Mailer 3.0 costs 9.

SpotCheck Java 1.1 application code

GenieWorks announced SpotCheck 1.1, a Java code editor designed to help developers check code without compiler feedback.

SpotCheck 1.1 identifies syntax and semantic errors (such as undefined names, type mismatches, etc.). The detection and feedback occurs right after each edit so the developer can fix the problem on the spot. Code is practically perfect before the programmer compiles it the first time.

Other features in SpotCheck 1.1 include:

Smart links to name declarations
Cross-referenced Java APIs
Popup menus for editing
Interfaces to helper applications
Hierarchical project browsing
Full support for the Java and APIs

SpotCheck 1.1 is designed for MacOS platforms, and you can download a free, full-function demo. To purchase, the cost is 9.

Download 68 KB version: Download PowerPC version (expires in 21 days):

JavaBeans for chemistry

Cherwell Scientific’s ChemSymphony site is now displaying ChemSymphony Beans-built applets, Java applets that deal with chemistry.

The more than 30 ChemSymphony beans provide a platform-neutral component architecture for developing and assembling network-aware solutions in chemistry for heterogeneous hardware and environments that are designed to run over the Internet/intranets. The site provides a slide show to demonstrate how these beans can be used to develop and deploy Java-based chemical applications.

The individual beans include:

Basic molecular renderer for 3D structure display
2D Drawing ChemSketcher for 2D structure display
3D Structure Drawing for more advanced 3D structure display
Data transfer trigger for external control over data exchange between beans
Editor control panel for controlling rendering options of ChemSketcher
2D Molecular renderer for generic 2D display
Render control for controlling rendering options of 3D renderers
2D Render control panel for controlling rendering options of 2D renderers
XYZ rotation for precise rotation along three axes
Generic marquee display for displaying multi-piece data without identifying data formats
Marquee renderer for rendering individual elements within multi-piece data (it comes with a Basic Renderer Component Factory)
2D Marquee renderer for rendering individual elements within multi-piece data (it comes with a 2D Renderer Component Factory)
Load Chemical File for loading chemical data from local disk
Save Chemical File for saving chemical data to local disk
Chemical Dynamics for special rendering of animations of chemical reactions on a molecular level (you can manipulate the model during playback)
Animation Control for controlling the Chemical Dynamics Bean

Be sure to check out the nifty demonstrations, including the MOPAC demo (a computational chemistry program available in FORTRAN — the ChemSymphony Beans make it easier to access), the ChemDraw plug-in demo (a demonstration of CambridgeSoft’s chemical configuration modeling software, ChemDraw), and the SMILES data-conversion demo.

ChemSymphony beans start as Standard (single user) for 99. Intranet licenses scale with the size of the intranet and start at 95 for a ChemSymphony Beans Pro developer license.

Also, you can get a free copy of ChemSymphony Lite, which lets you publish chemical formulas to the Web. It contains two applets: RenderBasic allows rendering of chemical structures in a variety of styles, including proteins and other macromolecules; and RenderControl lets users interact with the structure by changing rendering options, display styles, colors, and more.

General info: ChemSymphony Lite: ordering/details.html

Lotus Domino Designer Pack comes with the BeanMachine

Lotus announced the Domino Designer Pack (DDP), which consists of the Domino Server 4.6 and Lotus’ application development tools.

The DDP comes with the Domino Server so developers have an environment in which to test prototype applications. It also comes with Lotus’ application development tools — Notes Designer for Domino 4.6, Notes Global Designer, and the BeanMachine for Java 1.1.

As a bonus, the Pack contains NetObjects Fusion 3.0 Web authoring tools, as well as the Domino/Fusion Connector 1.1, Java-based components that link Fusion sites to Domino’s dynamic content management and display abilities.

The DDP will be distributed (retail only) for 90.

Mind Information Systems offers Ding! services

Mind Information Systems, a central California ISP and Web development company, will bundle Activerse’s Ding!, a Java-capable instant messaging application, as a part of a package of services for its clients.

Ding! gives users the ability to control their online availability (deciding who can have access to them), as well as allows users to know who’s online. The Ding! package also comes with such tools as instant messaging, chat, file-transfer, and live-status bulletins.

Servertec offers Java-based iPP platform-independent preprocessor

Servertec announced iPP, a platform-independent preprocessor written in Java for generating scalable enterprise solutions.

iPP includes support for:

Any Java Runtime Environment 1.1.x
Conditional compilation commands (ifdef, ifndef, if, elif, else, endif)
Recursive expressions evaluators (such as complex recursive string and arithmetic expressions in definitions and if commands)
Predefined and user defined identifiers and macros using define command
Embedded comments
Command line definitions using -d and -u command line parameter
User extensible search path using INCLUDE environmental variable and -i command-line parameter

The iPP preview release is available for free.

EquitySoft gives Java the IE look and feel

Australian company EquitySoft announced IEButton, the first in a set of graphical interface components that allow Java apps to emulate the Internet Explorer look and feel.

IEButton (the “IE” stands for “Intentionally Enhanced”) is a lightweight button component, complimentary to buttons found in the AWT and the Java Foundation Classes, that emulates the hot-tracking buttons found in Internet Explorer 4.0, designed to make Microsoft IE users more comfortable with Java applications. It is written in Java 1.1 and can operate with or without the JFC Swing component set.

IEButton is customizable and can be retrieved as a bean or as unzipped class files. EquitySoft offers it for free in non-commercial/freeware applications. The developer license fee is 5 (50 for a site license, 00 for a worldwide license); that includes the right to redistribute in applications without further payment.

Of course, you won’t find this button (or anything like it) in Microsoft’s Windows Foundation Classes.

MCS delivers Calypso Message Center automatic e-mail distributor

Micro Computer Systems (MCS) announced Calypso Message Center (CMC), a Java-based e-mail management system for large volumes of e-mail.

Source: www.infoworld.com