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by Kane Scarlett <em>(kane.scarlett@javaworld.com)</em>

News and New Product Briefs (12/15/97)

news
Dec 15, 199737 mins

Java QuickStart from Sun: Accelerating app development

Sun announced Java QuickStart, a workshop program designed to help companies accelerate the Java application development.

Sun Professional Services’ Java QuickStart is an intensive two-week mentoring workshop designed to give developers practical Java technology experience while developing a Java application prototype. Developers work with Internet and Java computing experts to learn the best practices to design for Java. They also get to assess different approaches for designing and building enterprise Java system applications.

The workshops are held at the Sun Professional Services Java Centers. Before the workshop, a Java consultant and company representatives review the company’s business strategies and identify the Java prototype application to be built. In the workshop, participants are paired with object-oriented analysis and design specialists to design and develop the prototype of a tightly focused Java application. The workshop also covers an overview of Java application development techniques, including Internet architecture, application design, and development, project planning, debugging and testing, and documentation.

The goals of the workshop include:

  • Evaluating advantages of Java for building business applications
  • Investigating unique solutions provided by Java
  • Exploiting the cross-platform capabilities of Java
  • Choosing and testing an application for enterprise-wide deployment
  • Accelerating and enhancing Java application-development expertise

Contact Sun Professional Services for more information.

New teemWorld release from Pericom

Pericom is releasing teemWorld 1.2.4 Java emulator (which is, essentially, the same as version 1.2.3, but is packaged in different forms).

In version 1.2.4 of teemWorld, you now get:

  • A single applet that contains all of the emulations currently supported, including:

    • IBM 3270/5250/3151
    • Digital VT52x, VT420
    • Tandem 6526/6530
    • Wyse 50, 50+, 60
    • TVI925
    • HP 700/92
    • Data General D410
    • SCO
    • ANSI

  • An individual applet for each emulation type, for smaller code and faster load times

  • New packages, including:

    • An unsigned (therefore, untrusted applet) generic version in Unix tar or Windows self-extracting format
    • Signed applets using JAR and CAB file formats, which allow teemWorld to operate as a trusted applet on Communicator and IE 3.02 and above
    • JDK 1.1 and JDK 1.02 versions as signed JAR file for Sun’s HotJava
  • A Web site that includes full installation, operators, and programmers guides for teemWorld in HTML format for download.

Check the Pericom Web site for more information.

Phaos J/CA Certification Toolkit

Phaos Technology introduces the J/CA Certification Toolkit, a toolkit that allows developers to easily add digital certificate technology into Web applications.

The J/CA Toolkit supports certificates based on the X.509 version 3 standard. J/CA applications can issue, parse, protect, and validate certificates, and interoperate with other certifying authorities (CAs). J/CA also has technology that handles revoking certificates that have expired or are stolen.

When developers use J/CA with Phaos’ SSLava Toolkit for secure transport, they get a platform-independent, end-to-end solution for Internet security, including encryption, transport, and authentication.

Very little information is available on site now, but you can send e-mail to jca@phaos.com for more information.

InstallShield’s InstallShield Java Edition

InstallShield Software debuts the InstallShield Java Edition 1.0, an installation development system tool for creating cross-platform Java application installations.

The Java Edition allows developers to create and maintain only one installation that will run on all supported VMs by building a single Java package file. It adds only 40 K of overhead to the installation, but provides the ability to display dialogs with company and application information, readme files, and license agreements, as well as uninstallation information, silent mode support, and the ability to create launch scripts. And, developers get Windows-specific functions to create shortcuts, modify the registry, and specify self-registering files.

InstallShield Java Edition costs 95. The runtime and design-time versions are Java apps that require Java 1.0.2 or higher.

Arcane Technologies releases beta No. 2 of the Magician Java OpenGL interface

Arcane Technologies has released the second public beta of its Magician software. This new release allows developers to write portable, high-performance OpenGL applications using Java.

Magician interfaces directly with existing OpenGL installations as native code, which helps with high-performance rendering. This release also includes in-core support for thread-safeness, which lets developers take full advantage of Java’s multi-threading capabilities.

Magician is currently shipping for Windows 95/NT and Linux; Arcane also has ports to IRIX, Solaris, and OS/2 in the works. Communicator, Internet Explorer, Symantec Cafe, and the Sun JRE/JDK are currently supported, both for application and applet usage. The Magician Runtime is free for download. Commercial runtime licenses, which allow distribution of Magician with commercial applications, are currently priced at 50 (royalty free). Source licenses are also available.

  • https://www.arcana.co.uk/products/magician

Chordiant and Sun demonstrate Java consumer/business software

Chordiant Software and Sun have demonstrated (with the combination of JavaBeans and Chordiant’s CCS customer software) that Java can facilitate the processing of up to 10,000 customer requests a day.

The companies combined JavaBean components and Chordiant’s CCS (Customer Communications Solution), an integrated suite of applications used to conduct consumer-to-business transactions through several applications designed for handling consumer requests directly through the Web, voice-activated systems, call centers, and branch networks. The applications directly support consumers, customer service representatives, call center operations managers, and business executives.

Besides using Java to process up to 10,000 consumer requests per day, the companies also demonstrated how customers can initiate a transaction over the Internet that is immediately integrated into a telephony system, so customer service representatives can respond and track customer requests. A by-product of this solution shows that Java can make it easier for customers to initiate their requests through various entry points — the Internet, telephones, or wireless kiosks — and then integrate the requests into a single tracking and fulfillment system.

In the demonstration, Internet-generation customer requests were serviced, tracked, and fulfilled for a large enterprise though a call center. When a customer couldn’t complete the transaction over the Web, the CCS initiates a call from a human being. Along with a request, the customer service representative gets the full history of the current request and previous customer information.

JavaSoft JavaBeans product manager Onno Kluyt said, “The combination of JavaBeans and Chordiant CCS has produced a highly scalable flexible, and distributed customer care system. Chordiant has done an excellent job of implementing JavaBeans in an enterprise-class application, making it one of the first Java-enabled solutions for a rapidly changing, high-volume consumer environment.” Chordiant President and CEO Carol Realini added, “We have answered a critical question about whether a Java-enabled call center can support the volume needed for large consumer-based companies. This is the call center equivalent of breaking the sound barrier — proving that Java scales well enough for the most demanding, high-transaction environments available.”

Chordiant announced that it is adding these Beans-based applications to the upcoming release of Chordiant CCS.

Tandem Himalaya servers run Java apps and servlets

Tandem, a Compaq company, announces its NonStop Server for Java, a certified environment that supports the JDK 1.1.2 and allows developers to deploy Java apps on the company’s high-availability Himalaya servers.

NonStop Server for Java also allows the Himalaya- and Web-based ITP WebServer to run Java servlets. Servlets are platform-independent, server-side components that can be used to deploy customized Web services, such as highly scalable database access and online catalogs, without having to use CGI scripts.

NonStop Server for Java incorporates a Java VM, the entire core Java APIs in JDK release 1.1.2, the JavaBeans Developer Kit (BDK), and the full set of JDK 1.1 tools. Developers can develop on the platform of choice, then deploy the resulting Java apps to run without any modifications on a Himalaya server. the server also incorporates performance-enhancement features, including Tandem’s Just-In-Time and Ahead-Of-Time compilers to translate performance-critical sections of Java code into machine code at or before runtime.

Tandem is a co-founder of the JSQL consortium, designed to study and promote methods to increase the efficiency of OLTP with Java. The consortium has defined a standard for embedding SQL in Java and a standard for the binary portability of JSQL database applications.

Microsoft’s Java SDK 2.01 available

The new release of the Microsoft SDK for Java, version 2.01, is now available.

SDK for Java 2.01 includes the latest version of the Microsoft Java VM (build 2339). This is the same VM that ships with Internet Explorer 4.01. Other new features include:

  • Win32 Classes for J/Direct — These classes simplify using J/Direct by allowing developers to mix Java and Windows. Includes pre-built declarations for GDI, User, Kernel, Multimedia, and Common Control.
  • Application Foundation Classes — The AFC support JDK 1.02 browsers.
  • Console — A requested developer feature that allows interactive viewing of output from Java programs.
  • Permissions-based security — Expanded user interface allows users and administrators to view and edit their Java security preferences in a granular manner.

The new AFC standalone package included in this release allows AFC to be used in browsers that do not offer adequate JDK 1.1 functionality.

Baltimore Technologies J/SSL can be used for e-commerce security

Baltimore Technologies announces Java/Secure Socket Layer (J/SSL), a secure communications toolkit written in Java and built using Baltimore Technologies’ J/CRYPTO.

J/SSL is targeted at Java developers who need commercial-strength security for all Internet server/client communication. It provides full 128-bit encryption. (J/SSL is not a U.S.-based product, so is not subject to U.S. export restrictions.) Authentication is provided by using X.509 digital certificates, which can be based on the RSA cipher, DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm), or Diffie-Hellman to prove the identity of the parties involved. J/SSL allows PKCS#10 certificate requests to be generated, which can then be submitted to a Certification Authority.

J/SSL is a full implementation of SSL 3.0. J/SSL is built on top of JCA (Java Cryptography Architecture); other JCE-compliant (Java Cryptography Extension) cryptographic libraries can be plugged in as the cryptography provider in J/SSL with a minimum of alterations.

J/SSL is compatible with the latest JDK 1.1. and also with JDK 1.0.2. It can be used to build applets for older browsers, including Netscape 3.0 and Internet Explorer 3.0, as well as the latest generation of browsers.

Commercial release is scheduled for January 1998. Pricing details will be available then.

  • https://www.baltimore.ie/jssl/index.html

Netscape bundles Oracle Lite for JavaScript Pro 1.0

Oracle and Netscape announced that Netscape will include Oracle Lite (a client-side database that needs less than 1 MB of memory and less than 2.5 MB of hard-disk space) into its Visual JavaScript Pro 1.0 development tool for Web applications.

Netscape Visual JavaScript Pro is part of Netscape SuiteTools 2.0, a suite of application development tools. Oracle Lite is a client-side database designed for mobile and embedded applications that need to synchronize with central database servers. It supports Java, C/C++, Oracle tools, Microsoft’s Visual Basic, Powersoft’s PowerBuilder, and Borland’s Delphi.

Together, the combo lets developers test applications quickly without having to install a remote database.

Netscape SuiteTools 2.0 should ship in December 1997 at 95 per developer seat. When purchased as separate modules, Visual JavaScript Pro 1.0 will cost 95, Visual JavaScript will cost 95, and Component Builder 1.0 will cost 95.

  • Product information: https://home.netscape.com/comprod/products/tools/suitetools.html
  • Original article: /cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?97121.enetoracle2.htm

Oracle’s Java IDE goes beta

Oracle’s integrated Java development environment, code-named Valhalla, has gone into beta testing; it will be distributed to select customers in coming weeks. Look for general availability in early next year.

Valhalla is based on Borland International’s JBuilder Java RAD tool. According to Oracle officials, the company enhanced the baseline JBuilder technology with extensions that make the platform suitable for large-scale development requirements.

Valhalla should provide tools and controls to automate common database services, such as connections and data accesses. The beta version also uses lots of wizards, which help database programmers solve common development tasks, such as “wrappering” Java code as CORBA objects.

Oracle’s director of product marketing Steve Illingworth said, “For the last eight months, we’ve been adding a lot of value — whether it’s JavaBeans on the front end, CORBA or Enterprise JavaBeans on the middle tier, or the capability of embedding Java in the Oracle database.”

HP-UX gets high-performance Java bytecode

The Open Group announced its TurboJ Java compiler, which translates Java bytecode to native code for Hewlett-Packard’s HP 9000 PA-RISC-based Enterprise servers and workstations.

TurboJ boosts the execution speed of Java apps closer to that of C/C++ programs, but at the same time, maintaining the cross-platform portability of Java. That also means that a larger number of types of applications can be written for HP-UX and more easily deployed. And Open Group officials claim that on some tests, increases of one hundred-fold have been measured. On version 3.0 of Pendragon Software’s Embedded Caffeine benchmark, code produced by TurboJ and run on an HP K570/HP-UX 10.20 yielded an Embedded CaffeineMark of 6564, compared with 61 for interpreted bytecode. In addition, code resulting from the TurboJ compiler can be several times as fast as code from JIT compilers.

TurboJ fully supports the Java 1.1 programming interfaces, including multithreaded applications and AWT windowing. TurboJ is designed to operate with the runtime version licensed from Sun, so developers and dabblers can both use it. No special TurboJ runtime is required in order to track Java releases from Sun, making it instantly usable with future Java releases.

An evaluation version is now available, and additional versions of TurboJ for other platforms and operating systems are expected soon. Final product release versions and pricing are expected to be available within 60 days.

eSafe Protect Enterprise keeps out hostile components

eSafe Technologies is shipping eSafe Protect Enterprise, an enterprise version of its anti-vandal software that can block hostile Java applets, ActiveX controls, plug-ins, and pushed content.

The eSafe Protect Enterprise software, a scaled-up version of eSafe’s desktop eSafe Protect software, can selectively block malicious executables, while allowing the “good” components in. It also includes anti-virus features and a desktop firewall feature that can be used to block specific IP addresses or URLs (like those pesky email-enamoured pyramid-scam vendors).

eSafe’s target market are small-to-mid-sized firms and inter-company departments of large companies. The enterprise version includes a central administrative console to create and enforce a security policy.

eSafe chief executive Yael Sachs said, “Our mission is to enable everything good from the Net but keep out the threats.”

Versant readies ODMG 2.0-compliant Java interface

Versant Object Technology plans to unveil its Versant Java Interface, an interface that will be compliant with the company’s ODMG 2.0 database.

The Versant Java Interface is built to support large-scale enterprise application development and deployment, so it will offer complete Java object storage. Capable of deployment on n-tier enterprise applications, the interface also provides interoperability with programming languages.

There will be three versions of the interface:

  • The base package will offer Java methods for direct access to a Versant database.
  • The second level will offer Java interfaces that support creation of, access to, and management of Java objects used as proxies for database objects.
  • The third level is a utilities package that provides Java classes for ODMG interfaces.

Versant officials claim that applications built with its Java interface can share objects in most programming languages, for maximum reuse. And the standard ODMG 2.0 interface provided makes it easier for developers to integrate third-party Java tools, because the database and programming operation can be written in the same language.

Versant Java Interface is expected to become available on December 16, 1997.

Sun picks up Sarrus Software

Sun has purchased Sarrus Software, a developer of Java-based groupware.

Among Sarrus’ group-oriented applications is Pencil Me In, a personal- and group-scheduling application for OpenStep, based on the Pencil Me In API. It lets corporate developers shorten the time to integrate scheduling functionality into custom applications. Sarrus also makes SBook, an intelligent directory and address book.

Sarrus Software has focused on Group Information Management solutions on the NextStep and OpenStep platforms.

Zero G debuts InstallAnywhere Java app installer

Zero G Software announces the public availability of InstallAnywhere (IA), a full-featured Java application installer designed for fast, secure, cross-platform, and cost-effective Java app deployment.

Written entirely in Java, InstallAnywhere automatically installs needed platform-specific features, such as the right Java VM, if they aren’t already on the specific system. It generates Java code that is easily customized and extended, and can be distributed over CD-ROM, Internet, intranets, and LANs. And with InstallAnywhere, developers can install Java, mixed native code and Java, and even HTML applications with one IA-generated installer.

IA-deployed Java apps show up on clients with a simplified user interface similar to that of native code.

Zero G has plans for advanced plug-ins based on the JavaBeans component architecture. The first planned plug-in is called PushAnywhere, which will let developers make live-updating push-type installers to keep users’ software up-to-date without the users having to do anything. PushAnywhere will support CDF, Netcaster, and OSD channel formats. It is scheduled for for release in early 1998.

It’s dog-eat-dogfood with IBM’s Java manufacturing app

IBM has created a Java 1.1-based mission-critical manufacturing-floor application in collaboration with Ralston Purina to facilitate the company’s move to Java.

Ralston Purina Pet Products director of manufacturing execution systems Mary Patterson said that Purina’s new Java-based application is specifically designed to let workers in pet food packaging plants query the company’s DB2 database for real-time information on manufacturing runs. They can check on what product they’re should be packaging on this run, what the sell-by date should be, and which promo coupons should be included in the box.

Patterson added that Purina is actively moving to Java and IBM’s MQSeries messaging-oriented middleware to make it easier to add Windows NT workstations to its multi-platform network. According to Patterson, the company had previously used “proprietary middleware” written in C++ to run messaging functions for the shop-floor app. With the integration of IBM’s MQSeries, Purina hopes to lower messaging app code maintenance costs. And by rewriting the app with IBM’s Visual Age Java for OS/2, Purina hopes to lower development time when they add new platforms to the system.

And with Java 1.1 compatibility, manufacturing-floor personnel can more easily query the database through JDBC (Java Database Connectivity).

As the project stands, IBM and Purina are finishing testing on a Java applet viewer for Purina management. The full version of the factory-floor application (running from an OS/2 Warp Web server) will come next.

Symantec to bundle Visual Numerics JNL with Visual Cafe for Java

Visual Numerics has announced that Symantec Corp. has decided to include its JNL (Java Numerical Library) in Symantec’s Visual Cafe for Java 2.0 (VC4J).

The 100% Pure Java certified JNL offers numerical classes and data types, such as complex numbers, matrix and vector operations, and basic statistics. VC4J’s Professional Development Edition and Database Development Edition will both include the JNL.

With the object-oriented JNL, developers can integrate advanced math and statistical functions into Java applications, making this library a necessity for applications or applets designed for scientific R&D, financial engineering, telecommunications, medicine, geophysical, and environmental research. The integrated numerical functions prevents the app designed with JNL from having to go back to the server for more intensive calculations.

JNL is derived from the industry-standard IMSL Numerical Libraries.

  • https://www.vni.com/products/wpd/jnl/

Interleaf makes move to Java animation software

Interleaf has announced Jamba Animator 2.0, a Java authoring tool that allows Web content creators to add animation to HTML without having to learn or program in Java.

With Jamba Animator (the first Interleaf product built with technology purchased from Asymetrix Learning Systems), users get a point-and-click interface to create Java animations as small as 12 K.

The software uses objects as the basic animation-building components — objects such as Text, Graphics, Audio, and ImageStrips. The objects can be integrated and synchronized using a timeline and stage metaphor. Path-based animation, which moves the object along the path you create by dragging, is the method used to move objects within the applet at runtime — all the objects (excluding sound, which would be strange) can have paths. Besides custom paths, there are pre-defined elliptical and polyline paths.

Jamba Animator has the standard box of special effects, such as Fade, Hide, Zoom, Rotate, and Layer Change. Object- and timeline-based events can cause animation applets to take a particular action, based on user interaction with an object or on the display of a specific frame in the animation.

Debuted at Fall Internet World last week, a trial version of Jamba Animator 2.0 should be available for download from Interleaf’s site. The commercial version will start shipping in January 1998 for 9.

Sun, Netsmart plan Web-based, smart card financial service kiosk

Using the SunConnect architecture and Netsmart Technologies SmartePay kiosk technology, the two companies plan to develop a Web-enabled smart card for the financial services industry.

SunConnect is a Java-based architecture designed for building and deploying Web-based financial services, supporting industry online transaction specifications. SmartePay kiosk is a customer-activated terminal that accepts cash, debit, credit, and smart cards, and can endorse checks and scan documents. It also dispenses cash and debit cards, and can be used to pay utility bills and trade securities.

SunConnect’s Java architecture will allow the kiosk’s financial services to be integrated with other retail delivery channels through the Web. The kiosks will most like be found at bank offices, building lobbies, and malls.

Netron Inc. announces the Netron Connectivity Framework (NCF), its latest application framework for building industrial strength, three-tier client/server systems. NCF is available in Netron’s latest release of its application development product, Netron Fusion.

NCF is a pre-packaged reusable system design that can link client technologies, middleware, or native communication protocols with COBOL servers. With NCF, large, powerful mainframe and Unix servers can integrate with various front-end clients built with Java and Visual Basic.

NCF is available in Netron Fusion 3.2 for Windows NT, Netron’s application development software. Netron Fusion 3.2 has added improvements to its Data Manager to increase storage capacities. And enhancements have been made to the Wizard and the Wizard scripting language.

Netron Fusion 3.2 is available for ,950 per license.

focus2 creates standalone Java sales presentation

focus2, a cross-platform multimedia design firm, has developed a standalone Java application for Miller SQA, an office furnishing manufacturer and distributor. The Java app was designed by focus2 (a primarily Mac-based company with cross-platform expertise in HTML, Java, C++, Lingo, and Frontier Script) as a portable sales presentation tool for Miller SQA’s Unix-based laptops.

focus2 president Shawn Freeman said, “There is no traditional way to create a multimedia presentation on a Unix-based laptop. The challenging aspect of this project was creating a visually pleasing design with none of the multimedia tools usually available to designers. We created a standalone Java application for Miller SQA that we can apply to future projects as well.”

The Miller SQA sales demonstration Java app starts by explaining the concepts of Miller SQA’s office furnishing processes. Being quite interactive, though, potential customers can move through the presentation at their own pace, stopping to dig down deeper for more information when they desire it. And the app can be easily customized for individual Miller clients.

For a demonstration of what focus2 has to offer, go to the first URL; however, you will need a QuickTime plug-in to view the video. If you’re in a hurry, follow the second URL.

Vantive VanWeb 3 delivers dynamic, real-time Web interaction

Vantive Corp. introduces VanWeb 3, a Java-based product that delivers real-time application interactions over the Web, just like you were on the local network.

VanWeb 3 is designed for use with Vantive’s Customer Asset Management (CAM) suite. For forms, VanWeb automatically generates the Java, JavaScript, and HTML so that the functionality (like required fields and interactive drop-down menus) works perfectly on the Web version. Vantive CAM Web users can perform real-time complex searches on the Vantive database, just like they were local. The data they retrieve is always the latest, most up-to-date information. And when they submit information, it is available to other users immediately. VanWeb 3 uses existing business rules and logic to ensure that Web-based transactions are handled exactly as internal transactions.

With VanWeb, customers are given self-service options, options that should help reduce call center queries. Companies can also use VanWeb to deploy Vantive applications internally. VanWeb supports thin clients, which can further reduce maintenance and operating costs. Other VanWeb features include:

  • Enhanced customization and support for event-handling
  • Support for client-side validation and error checking, so Vantive Web users are notified immediately of incomplete or incorrect submissions
  • Massive scalability — no CGI scripts needed, as VanWeb 3 handles communication between the Web server APIs and the VanAPI
  • Extensible architecture and support for third-party add-ons, such as Internet telephony
  • Dynamic drop-downs implemented as a Java applet, grabbing the values as a table on the Web server
  • Automatic icon publishing
  • Support for standard encryption technologies such as SSL and S-HTTP

VanWeb 3 supports the Internet Explorer and Navigator browsers, and such servers as the Microsoft Internet Information, Netscape FastTrack, and Netscape Enterprise Web servers. Pricing varies, depending on configuration.

Computer Associates finally ships Jasmine object database

Computer Associates will finally ship the delayed Jasmine object database. It has taken CA almost two years to finish Jasmine, a product it co-developed with Fujitsu and first announced in January 1996. Jasmine’s 1996 ship date went by the wayside when CA decided to add Java support to the database.

Jasmine combines Fujitsu object technology with a CA engine to manage complex data types, such as text, video, sound, and spatial data. And it does it in an unusual way. Jasmine links to relational data through gateways, instead of trying to combine complex data with structured data like most object relational databases do. Aberdeen Group analyst Karen Moser said, “Instead of going for a hybrid approach, they’re going for a pure object play. They’re saying that an object database is the best possible approach.”

  • https://www.cai.com/products/jasmine/jasmine_objects@work.htm

FFM Software’s NetPulser locks multimedia into a single Java applet

FFM Software introduces NetPulser 1.0, a Web authoring tool that uses a single applet to deliver high-speed, multimedia content on all major platforms.

NetPulser needs no plug-ins or recompiling. Its Mediapplet runs on Sun workstations, PCs, and Macs. And with the Editor Tool, developers can design, build, and test Java-filled Web pages — pages that can include such advanced features as vector graphics, animation, dynamic clickable areas, and sound.

Editor Tool features include:

  • Simple Draw Tool-style user interface
  • A bursting toolset that includes:
    • Circle
    • Rectangle
    • Polygon
    • Spline
    • Bezier curve
    • Bi-cubic spline
  • Support for such file formats as:
    • HTML
    • GIF
    • JPEG
    • Vector CGM/3D OBJ
    • ASCII
    • AU sound files
  • Up to 255 actions per object when managing and authoring hyperlinks
  • Up to 16.7 million colors
  • Embedded vector graphics
  • A Graphic metafile Editor

The NetPulser Mediapplet is a 66 K Java viewer that deploys easily over the Internet and eliminates the need for platform-specific viewers or plug-ins. According to FFM Software president and CEO Fred Feruch said, “The Mediapplet has been intensively tested on all platforms, as no other code is generated for each new Web site, NetPulser eliminates complicated file management and compiling bugs.”

NetPulser 1.0 is available now for Windows 95 and NT; Mac and Solaris versions should be ready by January 1, 1998. The NetPulser Editor Tool is available now for free as a download. Mediapplet can be purchased online at an introductory price of 99 through the end of January 1998 (then it will go up to 00).

Trouble getting Sun JDK 1.1.5 to download?

JavaWorld was alerted to a problem by one of our valiant readers when he tried, unsuccessfully, to download the latest version of the JDK (version 1.1.5) before December 5, 1997.

The reader let us know that he had alerted Sun, but was still receiving error messages when he tried to download version 1.1.5 (to fix bugs he found in 1.1.4).

JavaSoft engineer Martin Hardee let us know on December 9, 1997 that “There were some intermittent problems because of a new script we introduced. Unfortunately, the laws of probability mean that some of our thousands of downloaders hit it multiple times.” He went on to say that the problem was easing off.

And if you had problems with the download, try it now. We successfully downloaded both the Windows 95/NT and Solaris versions, in ZIP and tar formats, on December 10, 1997.

Finjan introduces SurfinShield Corporate for centralized security

Finjan Software introduces the SurfinShield Corporate version, centralized security management software for Java applets and ActiveX controls.

SurfinShield Corporate lets IT managers set a corporate-wide security policy through a central console. The software can be integrated into the network so that it works with firewalls and other corporate software-distribution products.

SurfinShield Corporate lets managers set different settings for each desktop. Shared experiences are gathered into a database that collects and consolidates Java/ActiveX information from each desktop. Then the system creates a customized log. If a single desktop suffers an attack from an unfriendly applet or control, SurfinShield Corporate learns from the attack and then updates the rest of the networked desktops to automatically eliminate the bad applet.

SurfinShield Corporate works at the desktop level; from there, it can detect any Java applet or ActiveX control that reaches the system. It continually monitors mobile code behavior during runtime in a safety area, which adds another layer of protection on the desktop.

  • https://www.finjan.com/products.html

Sun Solstice Enterprise Manager 2.1 gets Java supplement

Sun is offering the Solstice Enterprise Manager 2.1 Java Supplement, a set of Java APIs and a management console, for its Solstice Enterprise Manager software. Solstice Enterprise Manager is a multi-protocol network-management system designed for telecom providers and ISPs.

The supplement provides a set of Java APIs for development of custom network-management applications and a browser-based Java Management Console so administrators can monitor the network from anywhere.

The supplement allows network administrators to respond quickly and remotely to network alarms. It also provides a distributed multi-protocol management system to manage networks with thousands of nodes and ever-changing technologies. Other features include:

  • High-level Java APIs for manipulating managed objects, patterned after the Generalized Description of Managed Objects (GDMO)/C++ component of the Network Management Foundation’s (NMF) Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) API set

  • A Java Management Adaptor that supports a thin-client, fat-server architecture, increasing the network’s efficiency so more processing can be distributed

  • A customizable management console, which lets network operators and administrators browse network topology, view alarm data, and gather device details from a single, integrated, thin-client Java application.

The Java Supplement should be available as an add-on early next year.

Sun’s JDMK aids in distributed network construction

Sun announces the Java Dynamic Management Kit (JDMK), a Java-based toolkit for building and distributing network management intelligence into system, application, and network devices.

The JDMK uses a combination of “push” and Java network-management technologies to build self-managed networks. It provides a component-based approach to network management, including a library of core management services implemented as JavaBeans for Management. JDMK complies with the JavaBeans Component Specification, so administrators can quickly develop additional Beans, and then automatically deploy them over the network through push/pull methods.

Other features include:

  • A library of reusable core agents and services in the form of JavaBeans for Management
  • Small-size agents (200 K) that can collaborate with each other, work in any device with a Java VM, and perform management tasks automatically
  • Multi-protocol support, including for the almost-universal SNMP, HTTP, and RMI

Sun network software group VP/GM John McFarlane said, “For the first time, companies can implement self-managed, Service-Driven Networks with smart, distributed Java agents that act as invisible ‘assistants,’ alerting you of potential problems throughout the network or fixing them on their own. Agents and management ‘services’ can be assembled on-the-fly in a plug-and-play fashion, drastically reducing the time and effort it takes to administer large and complex networks.”

The JDMK will be available in January 1998 for ,995, which includes one developer runtime, one agent runtime, and one master agent runtime. A package with additional 1,000 agent runtimes or 10 additional master agents will cost ,995 each.

IBM plans worldwide NC services

IBM announced the formation of the Global Network Computer Services unit, a service division that will offer worldwide support for network computer deployment and development — and the service is not restricted to IBM NCs.

Brian O’Keefe, the new VP of the Cincinnati-based division, said that the main goal of the unit is to improve the integration of Java-based applications in an enterprise.

Diversified Systems Resources launches TransportDISPATCH DB

Diversified Systems Resources is debuting TransportDISPATCH, a dispatching system that lets transportation companies with multiple terminals connect to a central database using the Internet.

With the thin-client TransportDISPATCH application, transportation companies can track the position and availability of drivers, trailers, and orders over the Internet. Date and city schedules can be generated to show which drivers and trailers will be passing through which locations on which days.

Logon and password verification is required to access TransportDISPATCH. The software is designed to scale up for more terminals without adding additional software.

Apple releases WebObjects 3.5 devtool

Apple recently introduced WebObjects 3.5, an enterprise development tool that lets developers craft interactive Internet and intranet applications with support for the Java Developer Kit.

WebObjects 3.5 presents objects and components as a set of Java APIs and supports Microsoft Windows NT and Java on Sun Solaris using JDK 1.1.3.

In addition, version 3.5 contains a Direct-to-Web function for easier building of database Web applications. It allows vertical applications to be built in a point-and-click manner and includes a guide for developers to create live applications running against real data sources. Direct-to-Web also contains a framework of APIs for building of third-party templates.

David Kay, senior product manager of WebObjects, said about making WebObjects 3.5 Java-capable: “We wanted to make this version accessible to more people and better leverage a developer’s time while using it.”

Developer seats for WebObjects 3.5 are priced at ,500, and deployment pricing is server-based, starting at ,500.

Oracle makes headlines in Java/ORB/DB arenas

At Fall Internet World in New York, Oracle announced that all its enterprise and vertical applications will get Java-enabled to make them useful for network computers. That includes more than 35 application modules.

Oracle worked with JavaSoft to fit Java to the level of complexity that Oracle’s enterprise applications needed. The first version of Java-enabled products, Oracle Applications 11.0, is expected to ship early in 1998. A client/server version will follow, if there is demand.

In a separate announcement Oracle has decided to abandon VisiBroker’s ORB

Oracle middleware group is abandoning the Visigenic VisiBroker Object Request Broker (ORB) for its own in-house ORB. Oracle licensed VisiBroker nine months ago.

Oracle intends to integrate its new in-house ORB with its servers.

And in other Oracle news, the company’s new database, Oracle 8.0.4, will add support for the JSQL and Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) standards. It contains production code for JSQL and JDBC, instead of the beta code that was found in earlier versions. The database is expected to ship this month.

The new version of Personal Oracle Lite 3.0 small desktop database (for Windows and Macintosh) is also expected this month. It will support Java-based stored procedures and bi-directional replication with Oracle8. The database should run on NCs.

  • Original article: /cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?971126.woracle1.htm

Wintel tries a diskless NetPC for the NC market

Microsoft and Intel are thinking about creating a device to target the growing NC market, a diskless NetPC. And even though Microsoft spokesperson Pat Fox, group product manager, said that the companies did not have anything to announce in the near future, Fox also called the diskless PC a logical extension of their current direction.

If it comes about (most probably by the middle of 1998), the NC device would download a modified version of Windows NT 5.0 from a local server. The NetPC extension would also be modified to run Internet Java apps more efficiently.

This boost may help sagging NetPC sales efforts. Case in point: the VP/GM of HP’s Extended Desktop Business Unit Jacques Clay says that HP’s NetPCs are not selling well because they are aimed at the wrong market. He said, “The NetPC is a good concept but wrongly positioned as a secured PC. Companies such as insurance or banking aren’t interested. We can’t give them away. We are repositioning them as manageable desktops.”

So, is Microsoft moving to the NC?

“What Microsoft and Intel did is they took the NC and they redefined it into an NC plus all the applications you already use, a very clever marketing strategy,” said Novell CEO Eric Schmidt. “The thing that was missing in their strategy was that the real problem with the NC and the personal computer as they exist today is the back end, not the front end.” At the recent Comdex, many of Microsoft’s rivals claimed that Hydra and the mention of a diskless NetPC were Microsoft’s early public attempts to mutate Windows into a thin-client platform. But even other thin client players are pushing to slim down already thin clients.

Wyse (the Winterm maker) is lobbying for Sun, IBM, and other big industry players to create a standard for even thinner clients. Dubbed the “Java network terminal” by Wyse the modified NC would come with a Java VM and about half the RAM of current NCs.

Microsoft Hydra 1.0: Just a pre-release of a pre-release?

Microsoft has released a beta of Windows-based Terminal Server for NT 4.0 (WTSNT 4.0; code-named Hydra). And, as usual, the company is already promising that rough spots will be repaired in the next version.

For example, WTSNT 4.0 doesn’t support Microsoft’s clustering technology. For load-balancing capabilities, Hydra product management director David Weiss suggests using Picasso, a mixed-client Windows NT application server from Citrix that is being billed as an extension to Hydra. Of course, Picasso is also in beta, and it doesn’t have fail-over capabilities.

According to Hydra group product manager John Frederiksen, clustering support will be included the next version of Hydra, designed for Windows NT 5.0. Microsoft expects WTSNT 4.0 to ship sometime in the middle of 1998, but the NT 5.0 version won’t be around until NT 5.0, whose shipping date has slipped to Q398.

Hydra and Picasso use the Citrix ICA and Microsoft T-Share protocols to communicate to clients. Microsoft hopes that businesses will be able to use Hydra to run applications off the server from any machine, including 16-bit PCs.

  • Hydra information: https://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/guide/hydra.asp
  • Original article: http://www.infoworld.com:80/cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?971120.ehydra.htm

RCA home network computer device ready

RCA is targeting its RCA Network Computer to the 60 million homes without a computer, but in which people would like to surf the Internet.

The RCA Network Computer is a set-top receiver that connects to any television. Using the Netchannel service (a monthly subscriber service), the RCA NC tracks the destination and frequency of use, then suggests content it thinks the users might like.

For communication, the system can store up to seven email addresses. It also has a parental control function for locking the little ones out of sites of ill repute. Plus, with the click of a button, users can see what’s on television.

The unit comes with a wireless keyboard, universal remote control, and it features a printer port. Suggested retail is 49.

Wyse wants to mutate its Java NC

At Comdex, Wyse Technology unveiled its plan to change its proposed Java network computer, to fix what the company says are complaints that customers have about NCs as they now stand.

Wyse is calling its new version the “Java network terminal” — a Java-oriented desktop that uses small local Java applets to control the display (making the client footprint smaller and thinner than traditional NCs). More and more of the processing would occur at the server.

The official name will be the Winterm 4010; it will knock the Winterm 4000 (the next in Wyse’s Windows-based terminal line) out of the lineup before it even ships. The Java VM will be slimmed down, and according to Wyse product GM Jeff McNaught, the 4010 will need less memory and be able to hook up to an even wider range of Unix and NT servers than today’s NCs. Plus, it will be able to run Windows apps from the server.

And to speed the boot process, the 4010 will boot locally. It’ll run with between 8- and 16 MB RAM on a StrongARM processor. Wyse projects the cost at less than ,000 per unit.

Wyse canceled the Winterm 4000 because customers identified problems they’ve found with the current NC standard. Specifically, customers noted that large-scale Java applets running locally were not viable, and also that users wanted to use Windows applications, not replace them.

NCI marketing manager Randy Brasche doesn’t think Wyse’s approach is bad. In fact, he said that “In the short term, it provides great capabilities.” But he also believes that fully distributed applications are the direction software applications are moving, and for to take advantage of that, “you need to provide the full Java functionality for Java applications on the desktop.”

NC manufacturers meet to upgrade standards

Come January 14 and 15, 1998, a group of network computer vendors will come together to start creating new NC standards.

Led by IBM, the group of vendors, including Corel, Netscape, Novell, Oracle, Network Computer Inc., SCO, Sun, and Tivoli Systems, plans to develop standards for “wake-on LAN” functionality. That will allow systems to automatically connect to LANs when powered up.

IBM’s NC division channel marketing director Howie Hunger said that the standards will control how a systems administrator can cause an NC to remotely power up and power down. Under the standard, NCs will also be able to report memory characteristics and hardware specs, and troubleshoot problems. He added, “When I walk up to an NC, the system searches for my profile to deliver the applications that I’m authorized to work with on my data and my desktop preferences.” The group plans to develop a technical specification and submit it to The Open Group.

FedEx’s NC rollout on hold, for now

Federal Express, which had invited NC vendors to submit proposals last summer for orders of up to 75,000 NCs, has decided to delay choosing a vendor until the middle of 1998. According to company officials, several vendors informed FedEx that upcoming models would be better suited for the company’s needs.

But, many firms have already rewritten their expectations to accept Java-based NCs as the long-term future of computing. Gartner Group analyst Neil McDonald said that even though he doesn’t see the Java-based NC market taking off until 1999, Java NCs will eventually have higher value to customers than limited NCs and terminals. And FedEx still plans to roll out Java NCs over three to five years.

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