INDEXHEAD: Sun to offer Java 2 for free
Starting January 31, 2000, Sun Microsystems will make the source code for the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition available free of charge. The binary runtime environment is already available at no cost.
This decision by Sun represents a major shift. Since Java technology was introduced in 1996, Sun has charged fees and royalties for its use.
The other two products in this family, the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition and the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition will be available for purchase.
Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition product information:
INDEXHEAD: Borland Inprise introduces Inprise Application Server 4.0 and VisiBroker for Java 4.0
Inprise Application Server 4.0 and VisiBroker for Java 4.0, both from Borland Inprise, now offer full support for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE), as well as enhanced security capabilities.
Inprise Application Server is a pure Java 2 implementation that utilizes CORBA and EJB to create an open, cross-platform, and cross-language ebusiness application layer, according to the company.
VisiBroker for Java also takes advantage of the capabilities of CORBA, and acts as an ORB (object request broker). VisiBroker incorporates support for applications from such leading vendors as Oracle, Sun, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Informix, Novell, and Silicon Graphics.
The two products are designed to be used together. The pair can also be integrated with other Inprise components as part of an overall ebusiness solution.
Here are some of the products’ features:
-
Application Server:
- Stateless and stateful Session Beans
- JTS/JTA/JNDI/JDBC/JSP/JMS
- Support for bean-managed persistence (BMP)
- Support for portable object adapter (POA) and objects by value (OBV)
- Naming-service clustering
- Built-in applet support
- Visual administration tools
-
VisiBroker:
- Quality of service (QoS) APIs
- Support for multihomed hosts
- Portable stubs and skeletons
- LDAP support
- Smart agents
- Neat object wrappers
- Visual administration tools
Both Application Server and VisiBroker are available for Microsoft Windows, Solaris, HP-UX, and AIX. VisiBroker is also available for Linux and OS/390.
Contact company sales for pricing information.
Inprise Application Server 4.0:
Inprise Application Server 4.0 features and benefits:
VisiBroker for Java 4.0:
VisiBroker for Java 4.0 features and benefits:
INDEXHEAD: No certification needed for great Java coding
Swedish software company Demicron has announced the general availability of WireFusion, a new Java programming tool that allows you to create applets and illustrations “without knowing a single line of the Java language.”
According to Demicron’s Website, professional Java programmers should beware: “WireFusion is built to give professional Web designers, modelers, [and] private individuals the opportunity to program their own graphical Java applets in just a fraction of the time needed by a professional Java programmer.”
WireFusion features include:
- Support for the Java 1.0 and 2 Platforms
- Realtime image processing
- Multilayer effects
- A publishing wizard
- Optional JAR compression
- Plug-in availability
When you use the free download, a pop-up window informs Website visitors that the applet was created with an unregistered version of WireFusion. To avoid this, you’ll need to pay the 50 per-license registration fee.
WireFusion runs on Windows 9x/NT 4.0.
Product information:
Free download:
INDEXHEAD: New development tools make XML-based business solutions a breeze
Breeze Commerce Studio 1.0.2 from V-Systems Inc. (VSI) allows you to build and deploy XML-based business solutions in Java in record time.
Intended for Java and XML developers, Breeze Commerce Studio speeds the integration of multiple data sources with an XML schema editor/importer, generates code compliant with Java 1.1/1.2 , and allows you to render forms in PDF, Postscript, and PCL formats.
Breeze Commerce Studio 1.0.2 allows you to move data among applications easily with its XML framework and JDBC/ODBC database table importer. It allows you to retain XML information via HTTP, TCP, email, file, and XML-enabled fax servers.
Breeze Commerce Studio includes a visual XML editor and a developer’s toolkit. It is available for the Windows NT, Unix, and Linux platforms. Contact company sales for pricing information.
Product information:
Free download:
INDEXHEAD: Day trading for Linux coming soon — thanks to Java
Track Data Corporation has announced that it is developing a Java-based client for its myTrack online investment trading software, in order to make its core product available to users of the increasingly popular Linux operating system.
The new Java-based client will also support Unix, Mac OS, and Solaris.
More product information:
INDEXHEAD: Clipstream converts your audio files into high-quality streaming audio
Clipstream converts your existing audio files into a format that can be heard as high-quality streaming audio on any Java-enabled browser. Clipstream can work its magic on CD audio, WAV, and MP3 files.
The program features an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface, and allows your sounds to be heard by an estimated 90 percent of Web users — with no plugin. The high compression rate allows for an especially fast download, enabling the nearly seamless integration of audio with existing Web pages.
Clipstream is available for Windows and Mac OS for 9.
Download a free evaluation copy:
INDEXHEAD: Bunka and KL Group team up in Asia
Bunka Orient and the KL Group have announced a strategic alliance for Java-related products and services in Asia.
The companies will work together to create localized Japanese versions of the KL Group’s Java products, including the JClass family of Java components and the JProbe development suite.
The JClass Enterprise Suite development environment includes:
- JClass LiveTable
- JClass Chart
- JClass Field
- JClass HiGrid
- JClass DataSource
- JClass SwingSuite
- JClass JarMaster
Press release on the agreement:
Bunka Orient:
KL Group:
INDEXHEAD: Secant announces new Extreme Enterprise Server for EJB
Secant Technologies has announced version 3.5 of the Secant Extreme Enterprise Server for EJB, expected to be generally available in early 2000.
Secant Extreme Enterprise Server for EJB 3.5 is fully compliant with the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) specifications.
A complete environment for the development, assembly, deployment, and maintenance of ecommerce solutions, the Extreme Enterprise Server includes these features:
- Object persistence
- Distributed transactions
- Advanced security
- Events
- Concurrency
- Support for servlets/JSP
- Support for EJB construction and deployment
- CORBA support
- RDBMS support
Secant Extreme Enterprise Server for EJB 3.5 supports integration with legacy systems and incorporates high-availability features, including automatic failover, load balancing, server clustering, and server monitoring.
Extreme Enterprise Server is available for the Windows NT/2000, Solaris 2.6, and HP-UX 11 operating systems. Versions for Linux and AIX will become available in first and second quarters of 2000, respectively. Support for Windows 9x is available for the client only.
For pricing, contact company sales.
Product information:
Product features:
Download an evaluation copy:
INDEXHEAD: Sybase introduces Enterprise Application Server 3.5
Sybase has announced the latest version of its application server, Enterprise Application Server 3.5.
This newest version of the company’s application server fully supports the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE). It also incorporates built-in load balancing and failover for higher availability, two-phase commit for database transactions, a new interface to SAP (Service Advertising Protocol) objects, and tighter integration with the company’s Java development tool, PowerJ 3.5.
Enterprise Application Server 3.5 supports the following formats, tools, and standards:
- CORBA
- XML
- COM
- SAP
- PowerBuilder
- C and C++
- JavaBeans and Enterprise JavaBeans
- JDBC 2.0
- JTS/JTA
The product is available in a Small Business Edition, and Advanced Edition, and an Enterprise Edition. Deployment pricing starts at ,995.
Sybase company information:
Press release on Enterprise Application Server:
INDEXHEAD: Caribou Lake releases new version of JSQL
Caribou Lake Software, makers of Jsockets, has released the newest version of its Java-based relational database management system (RDBMS), JSQL 4.0.
JSQL offers support for Ingres and Oracle databases and the SilverStream Application Server. Version 4.0 provides greater speed, as well as the ability to pool database connections and perform multiple and batch updates. The new version is also fully Java 2 compliant.
JSQL 4.0 components include:
- Jsvr: A type 3 JDBC driver with BLOB support and security features
- Jpass: Enables you to use a Web server to pass JDBC calls to a database server
- Jtunnel: Allows safe tunneling through firewalls and reverse proxies
- Jauth: Provides authentication for Ingres databases
- JdbCache: Pools database connections
- Jsi: Provides integration between an Ingres database and the SilverStream Application Server via JSQL
The JSQL product is available as a bundle for Unix, VMS, and Windows NT. You may also purchase component packages individually.
For detailed pricing information, see:
Product information:
Download JSQL for a free 30 day evaluation:
INDEXHEAD: You get what you pay for with Forté for Java Community Edition 1.0
Sun Microsystems has made a preview edition of the Forté for Java development tool available for download under a community license.
The current release is a public beta, but the Community Edition of the Forté tool (formerly known as NetBeans) will also be available free once it is released in the first quarter of 2000. An Internet Edition will also be available; this version of the product includes the Community Edition and extensions which must be purchased.
The free version will include:
- An open API
- A form editor
- A text editor
- An image viewer
- Syntax coloring
- An object browser
- A multithreaded debugger
- Swing support
- Support for Java classes
- Support for JavaBeans
- An update center to automate upgrades
Advanced features, such as integrated support for the development and debugging of database and JSP/servlet applications, visual development tools for AWT and Swing, tools to connect with JDBC-compliant databases, automatic javadoc generators, automatic JAR packaging, and support for EJB, CORBA, RMI, JNDI, Jini, XML, JSP, VCS, FTP, and CVS will be available for purchase in the form of modular plugins. There will also be an Enterprise Edition (previously known as Syner).
Pricing details have yet to be announced.
Forté for Java Community Edition 1.0 information:
Download Forté for Java Community Edition 1.0:
INDEXHEAD: Tendril introduces StructureBuilder for Java
Tendril Software has developed StructureBuilder 3.3 Enterprise for Java, a suite of model-based development tools that allow you to visually develop Java applications and Enterprise JavaBeans.
A certified 100% pure Java implementation, StructureBuilder includes support for JDKs 1.1 and 1.2, as well as for Oracle, Symantec VisualCafe 3.0, and NetBeans Developer.
Feature sets vary based on edition, and may include:
- An open API
- Class diagrams synchronized with code in realtime
- Javadoc tags synchronized with code in realtime
- The ability to invoke external commands
- The ability to import and export Jasmine objects
- The ability to import all file types from a single window
- Advanced print support
The StructureBuilder dynamic visual modeling environment includes Java code generation tools, many of which should speed the development of JavaBeans and Enterprise JavaBeans.
Supported platforms include Windows 9x/NT, Solaris (on both SPARC and Intel architectures), and Linux. StructureBuilder is not supported on Mac OS, but is reported to run on that platform, so long as it is provided with a 1.1.4+ compliant JVM.
Pricing ranges from 00 for the StructureBuilder Standard edition, to ,000 for StructureBuilder Enterprise Pro. Support incidents cost 5 apiece.
Complete StructureBuilder feature list:
Features of various versions of the product compared:
INDEXHEAD: Pervasive now runs on Solaris
Pervasive.SQL 2000 from Pervasive Software is now available for Solaris.
The Pervasive.SQL 2000 database-management system now includes clustering and Java features. These new capabilities will help users create and deploy tailored, database-backed application servers for the Web, via both parallel relational and transactional access methods.
Pervasive.SQL 2000 includes support for:
- JavaScript
- Perl scripts
- Java classes
- JavaBeans
- Smart cards
- Mobile devices
Supported platforms include Windows 9x/NT/CE, Novell NetWare, Mac OS, Wind River Vx Works, QNX Neutrino, 32 and 64 bit Solaris, and several flavors of Linux.
Pricing for Pervasive.SQL 2000 Server begins at ,500 for a 10 user license. The product ships with complimentary 30 day support; afterwards, support incidents are available at 00 for one or 50 for a five-pack, ,000 for a 60-pack (which must be redeemed within one year), 0,000 for 120 incidents, or 0,000 for all the support you can handle.
Product information:
Trial download:
INDEXHEAD: Philips Semiconductors powers first JMF set-top box
Philips Semiconductors, an affiliate of Royal Philips Electronics, said in a press release that its Trimedia Processor has powered the industry’s first JMF/Java smart card set-top box.
The Philips Semiconductors’ TriMedia Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) processor powers the digital TCPConnect M@gic Box set-top box.
Philips hopes that consumers will want to purchase products with their television sets, perhaps while watching a favorite movie or television program.
“The power and flexibility of the Java platform will enable the M@gic Box to run a wide variety of interactive television applications that will greatly enhance the way viewers enjoy TV,” said Curtis Sasaki, director of product marketing for Sun’s software platforms and products division.
Sun and Philips hope that consumers will be inspired to purchase items by the “knowledge that transactions are being handled in a safe and secure environment thanks to Java Smart Card technology.”
Although the television industry has still not learned the lessons of standardization, the TCPConnect M@gic Box is compatible with both the European DVB MHP digital TV standard and with the North American standard for digital television, ATSC. The set-top box additionally supports Web browsing, email, and video telephony — as well as radio reception, enhanced television datacasting, multichannel audio, fax, secure home banking and ecommerce, DVD, MPEG-2 recording, and ISDN.
Press release:
INDEXHEAD: Codagen to ship gen-it for Java
Codagen Technologies has released its gen-it for Java code generator.
The template-driven code generator allows you to specify what code needs to be generated when, and how. The product is optimized for component-to-framework integration and ease-of-maintenance.
Appealing features of gen-it include:
- Generation-time control
- Compatibility with Rational Rose
- Component architecture
- Dynamic generation contexts
gen-it is now available at an introductory price of ,000 per user.
Product information:
Trial download:
INDEXHEAD: BEA and Warburg, Pincus form ebusiness powerhouse
BEA Systems and Warburg, Pincus Ventures have announced in a press release that they “have joined forces to form an independent company to focus on developing ‘power tools’ that simplify and accelerate ecommerce software development.”
In its first move, the nascent company has announced that it will acquire Symantec’s VisualCafé product line for a one-time cash payment of 5 million.
The yet-to-be-named company will turn VisualCafé into “a complete, open tool set for the development and deployment of Java component-based applications.”
More acquisitions are to be expected, according to the press release. Press release:
INDEXHEAD: Java-based wireless apps for SAP R/3 released
Epic Data International has released EPIConnect, Warehouse Edition, a Java- and XML-based wireless applications for SAP R/3.
Featuring eXpresso, the company’s Java/XML development environment, Epic Data’s new product is a shrink-wrapped automated data collection (ADC) solution that attempts to deliver on the age-old promise of a paperless warehouse.
Simple user menus are designed to simplify delivery infrastructure and backend processes.
EPIConnect interfaces with:
- SAP
- Baan
- Oracle ERP
Server-side EPIConnect runs on Windows NT, Unix, and Linux. Client-side EPIConnect runs on DOS, Windows CE, and Palm OS.
Contact company sales for pricing information.
Company press release:
INDEXHEAD: New applet free, open source
Branko Dimitrijevic has made available his free, easy-to use, fast, space-saving Website navigation popup-menu — and opened its source code, as well.
Features include:
- Customization through HTML
<PARAM>tags - Unlimited nesting of submenus
- Support for frames
- Support for navigation to separate windows
- Customizable colors
- Small download size
Download the applet:
INDEXHEAD: NetObjects presents Authoring Server for JSP
NetObjects has released its NetObjects Authoring Server for JavaServer Pages (JSP).
NetObjects claims that the release takes the company out of the content management space and into the realm of rapid application development (RAD). According to the company, these tools can be efficiently and seamlessly utilized by Web teams of “any technical ability” to create Web-based solutions which incorporate:
- JavaServer Pages
- Components
- Java Servlets
- JavaBeans
- Authentication and database access
- Personalization
- Session management
NetObjects claims that these Web-based creations should seamlessly integrate with those created under systems like IBM WebSphere, BEA WebLogic, and iPlanet Application Server from the Sun/Netscape Alliance.
NetObjects Authoring Server for JavaServer Pages runs on Windows NT; contact company sales for pricing information.
Product information:
INDEXHEAD: ResQNet 4.0 integrates host with other data sources
ResQNet.com has released ResQNet 4.0, a 100 percent pure Java applet that provides on-the-fly graphical connectivity to mainframes and AS/400s via any Java-enabled browser.
Based on the company’s patented, proprietary ResQ! technology, ResQNet includes support for advanced macros and comprehensive database access, and also supports for LDAP.
The fully customizable ResQNet includes these features:
- The ability to automate logon
- The ability to protect sensitive data
- Stateful transfer of values between screens
- The ability to link host application screens between networks
- The ability to export host data to other applications
ResQNet supports IBM mainframes, or machines running CICS (which include OS/2, Windows NT, AIX, Sun, and HP-UX). For pricing, contact company sales.
Product information:
Download the free trial version:
INDEXHEAD: MagicDraw from No Magic is pure Java
No Magic has released version 3.5 of its MagicDraw UML (Unified Modeling Language) tool.
According to Java.sun.com, MagicDraw is a “complex tool [which] allows developers and business professionals to draw, design, and view UML diagrams of object-oriented systems.”
This new version introduces reverse-engineering features, round-trip CORBA 2.3 IDL capabilities, automatic setter and getter generation, a lightweight Swing GUI, and many advanced diagramming capabilities.
MagicDraw features include:
- C++ code reverse engineering
- 2.3 CORBA IDL code generation and reverse engineering
- Color UML diagrams support
- Advanced sequence diagram modeling
- Compatibility with Rational Rose 98
MagicDraw UML is a pure Java implementation, runs on all major platforms, and costs between 50 and 00.
MagicDraw:
Download the free demo:
INDEXHEAD: JLOOX Layout for Java is now available
LOOX Software has released the newest version of its Java visual development solution, JLOOX Layout for Java 2.
According to the company, the JLOOX Layout for Java 2 graphics toolkit is just the first in what will become a series of complementary components for enhanced data management across the enterprise.
JLOOX Layout for Java 2 has a pure Java API and utilizes Swing and Java 2D to help users easily visualize complex data topologies in any of the following data-structure formats:
- Spring embedder
- Tree
- Table
- Align
JLOOX Layout for Java is available for Windows and Unix, and costs ,500 for a single-user development license. The cost includes one year of free support and maintenance. No royalties or additional fees are required.
JLOOX Layout for Java 2 product information:
INDEXHEAD: Fractal Images introduces WebReader 3.0
Fractal Images has announced the new release of WebReader 3.0.
Version 3.0 introduces the use of Swing for the GUI, and adds a toolbar.
WebReader is the first Usenet newsreader written entirely in Java. The product allows you to read articles containing HTML — but renders your posts as Usenet-friendly ASCII.
Additional features include:
- Automatic system file generation
- Single-click subscription to an entire group hierarchy
- The ability to post articles using wildcards
- The ability to print an article
- The ability to kill files dynamically
To download and run WebReader, you should be running JDK 1.2 or 1.2.2 (the program is not supported yet on JDK 1.3 or higher) on Unix or Windows. On the Windows platform, the FAT32 filesystem support is highly recommended.
Product information:
Download WebReader 3.0 for free:
INDEXHEAD: WebBase 4.5 now available
ExperTelligence has announced the latest release of its Web database application development tool, WebBase 4.5 Build 10.
This new release incorporates Y2K fixes, introduces new domain variables, allows for error wrappers, enables file uploads, and introduces new expressions, macros, and variables.
WebBase allows you to build dynamic, ODBC-based Web applications in much the same way that Zope and PHP paired with MySQL do.
WebBase 4.5 features include:
- Rapid application development (RAD) for HTML-based access to databases
- HTML access to business logic
- Reduced CGI overhead
- The ability to embed macros in HTML pages
- The ability to simulate state across a series of Web pages
Pricing for WebBase starts at 00.
Product information:
Download a trial copy:
INDEXHEAD: Sun offers BluePrints for J2EE
The Sun BluePrints Design Guidelines for J2EE SDK, Enterprise Edition, Draft Release are now available from Sun Microsystems. The Sun BluePrints for J2EE are “an integrated set of documentation and examples that illustrate ‘best practices’ for developing and deploying J2EE-compatible solutions.”
According to Sun, these guidelines can enable “faster product delivery time to market for enterprise developers” by:
- Demonstrating ideal component design and optimization
- Illustrating recommended division of development labor
- Offering ideas on the allocation of technology resources
- Improving scalability
- Detailing better legacy connectivity
- Supporting enhanced security
This release of the Sun BluePrints Design Guidelines for J2EE SDK, Enterprise Edition, Draft Release is available as documentation with Sun’s FCS release of the Java 2 SDK, Enterprise Edition.
Download the Java 2 SDK, Enterprise Edition:
Press release on the availability of the BluePrints (free registration required):
