Re: Java and NC

david@go5.com (David W Chan) wrote: :Nils.Myklebust@idg.no (Nils Myklebust) wrote: : : :>This week one of the major insurance companies in Norway stoped a US$ :>2.6 million dollar project to develop new systems based on MS Windows :>NT. :>They are now evaluating going the NC/Java route instead. They now have :>4.500 PC's and terminals which they want to replace with NCs as fast :>as possible to run Java and other intranet based applications. : :What percentage of those are terminals? I don't know, but it's common in Norway by now with a relative high percentage of PC's. : I would be very surprised if :they are going to throw away thousands of PCs. They could just put a :Java VM on them. I would assume they would also, but start buying NCs instead of replacing PCs with better ones. :Personally, I don't think NC will take off for intranet applications. For intranet I do think so, but not for internet other than in the form of TVs with internet access included. That I assume will become quite popular if the cost can be made low enough and when internet access is on the cable. :Java on the other hand will probably become the dominant programming :environment for applications and should kill off VB, Delphi, PB in the :process. I do believe VB will survive for quite some time, but the others should get into serious trouble. With just a little more development in the Java field Java and tools around it will make up a substantially more powerfull tool than any of these three. VB however is used by a very large number of developers out of whome many do not easily change their tools. : Have a look at www.apptivity.com Haven't tested it yet, but some comment: Immediately looks good. Have multi tier support built in. Possible problem with each datasource object representing a table. This may not allways be the right design, but I don't know that for sure yet. They have options to bind database columns to visual fields. This is fine and usefull for parts of an application. It is however not multi tier. Data in server based objects must be bindable to visual fields. This must be possible in code, but is it in the visual editor? They have their own classes for visual components for natural reasons. See below however. One place they say: "With the query editor, a developer does not need to understand SQL to be able to use Apptivity". I usually run very fast in another direction when development tool suppliers try to claim that I don't need to understand sql to use it. I will still look more at this tool. : and www.netdynamics.com for Havent looked to much yet. :examples of Java RAD tools for building database application. In fact :Apptivity reminds me of NewEra. Also look at www.iona.com for CORBA (reasonably prices as opposed to some others), www.thoughtinc.com for very interesting middelware class library whic will be integrated with several dev.tools., of course cafe.symantec.com for Visual Cafe and a pletora of other tools, libraries and applications where one startingplace is www.gamelan.com :Also, there are Java compilers available or in the pipeline that can :produce Windows EXEs or DLLs. So if the application is purely :intranet and you don't want to get rid of your PCs, you can build :Windows EXE applications using Java. SuperCede from Asymetrix is an example of such a tool (www.asymetrix.com). It may be equally interesting to compile server side classes to native code on NT or Unix. Look at www.twr.com for one such product claiming to give C++ like performance to Java programs. :Also, I don't think Microsoft is scared anymore. They are in Norway for loosing the 100% NT deal with a major corporation. I also believe that many users wouldn't mind to get out of Microsofts current lock grip on them. It's not that they dislike Microsoft, it's simply not a good all that good to be too dependent on one supplier, even one of Microsofts size. :Their VJ++ tool and :AFC class library shows that they are taking Java seriously although :surprisingly, VJ++ can't produce a Windows EXE (yet). I wouldn't touch the AFC class library if it can at all be avoided. This may be made into the major attack on Java and it's portability by Microsoft. They may utilize one of the greatest weaknesses in Java, the AWT (Abstract Windows Toolkit i think) and create an alternative which may be top notch (few now as much about this type of toolkit as Microsoft), but bind you in subtle ways to Windows. The problem is that this is where the interface to the native platform is underneath. They may first make it run better on Windows, and later put in lots of functionallity that is extremely usefull, but that doesn't run on all platforms. This reflects one of the major problems with Java right now. The AWT library from Javasoft was all but useless in ver. 1.0.2. It has been made a little better in 1.1, but still isn't good. It's a major problem if a standard foundation class library isn't established soon. The IFC class library from Netscape is reported to be top notch, and there is work underway to pressure Javasoft and Netscape into a cooperative effort to make this the standard library. Whatever happens it's mandatory that one and only one foundation class library is established and becomes standard with Java. :The next couple of years will be very interesting. Months in internet time? :-) Nils.Myklebust@idg.no NM Data AS, P.O.Box 9090 Gronland, N-0133 Oslo, Norway My opinions are those of my company The Informix FAQ is at http://www.iiug.org