Re: Java and NC

In article 21510079@gate.idg.no, Nils.Myklebust@idg.no (Nils Myklebust) writes: > "John H. Frantz" <frantz@centrum.is> wrote: [snip] > :3. Java very thin client. The grunt of the application runs on a server > :(same or close to the database server). The applets that the NC runs are > :only the user interface portions. In other words, application > :partitioning (3-tier c/s) along with minimum administration and machine > :independence. [snip] > :Now, scenario 2 with JDBC is the easy way to go and I'm sure it has it's > :place, but isn't scenario 3 the *real* thing for database applications, > :in terms of bandwidth, cost and security? their Java ORB (the OrbixWeb product) at very attractive prices. [snip] > All this becomes a long list of suppliers where examples may be: > DB - Informix > JDBC - OpenLink > Middle tier - Self made or Thought Inc. > CORBA - IONA > Application - Dev.tool - Symantec Visual Cafe > IFC class library from Netscape > Possibly other class libs./JavaBeans > > At least 6 suppliers. It becomes quite clear that someone like > Informix could do something intelligent to alleviate this situation. > That's however also hard due to the extremely rapid develpments. JDBC, > CORBA and some class libraries (server and GUI) would of course be > natural candidates. A dev.tool might also be ok. They would have to > buy them though. It's too late for Informix to develop all this for (warning- I work for the consulting side of a company that also makes tools, so this is sort of a plug, but it answers alot of the concerns noted above). Development tools already exist to do alot of this. Take a look at Prolifics from Prolifics (www.prolifics.com). Prolifics is a cross platform tool (JAM) that comes with a slimmed down, built-in version of Tuxedo (or you can buy the real version of Tuxedo, and soon it'll support other message-based Transaction Monitors, such as Micro$oft's future version of Viper, or whatever its called now) that allows the same tool to be used to create GUI screens, Web screens, and SERVICES that might run on other machines. Code, objects, etc can be shared, and it has native database drivers for Informix, Oracle, Sybase, ODBC, etc, on lots of platforms. You can visually create services, via a drag-n-drop editor, or even let wizards create them for you (the wizards aren't perfect, but they do let you create 3-tier, Client-server, Web, or all of the above in a very rapid fashion). Prolifics will probably be one of the first vendors to support the NC, since the presentation layer has always been handled carefully. So, you can have Informix as your database vendor, use native Informix database drivers, then everything else comes from Prolifics. At that point, you can create applications that run on Windows NT, or the Mac, or the Web, or Unix, or character-mode, or VMS, or a NC. You can write your own JAVA, JAVA-script or HTML, or let Prolifics generate it for you. Its actually very cool technology, has been around for a while, and is probably the correct way to go. I think Forte and Dynasty and Uniface are also using the same approach. The database vendors are instead taking the approach of using a browser, having the database server act as a web-server, and then have EVERYTHING live in the database. The advantage is you only have to deal with a single vendor. The disadvantage is that you are almost back in a mainframe mode, where if the database is busy, maybe retrieving static pages or images, the in-house people are slowed down, and the outside people can't get through. It just doesn't scale, and storing an application and images in a database is not being kind to your database server. You don't want to re-connect each time, but you don't want to have a dedicated connection for a user who might have turned off his browser 5 minutes ago. Ugh. Good luck, Mark McNulty Quadris Consultant mmcnul@quadris.com note- these views are mine and not those of JP Morgan or JYACC.