InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
August 3, 1998
Java For The Enterprise
continued...page 2 of 2
Integration With Java
Unlike other native Java code compilers, you can even use the Flash Compiler to integrate SuperCede-generated executable code with dynamically loaded Java class files. SuperCede's Flash Compiler now runs only with 32-bit Windows on Intel machines. SuperCede plans to work with Sun to port the technology to Solaris by year's end.
Data access is often central to business applications. SuperCede throws in the Java Data Objects classes to augment standard Java Database Connectivity database access. As with all the different components available in SuperCede, data-access applications can be constructed by dragging and dropping data-aware visual elements onto a form. The Professional version of SuperCede includes VisiChannel Type 3 JDBC and WebLogic Type 3 Native JDBC, as well as advanced data-access JavaBeans and a data-source browser. Type 3 JDBC drivers work at the network protocol level by translating JDBC calls into database-independent calls that are processed by the JDBC server into a native database API.
More Than An IDE
Progress Software's Apptivity 2.1 has one of the most highly evolved distributed application architectures of all Java development environments. Apptivity is more than just an IDE; the Apptivity Server plus Corba components extend Apptivity's range over all tiers of a distributed computing architecture, from diverse clients to multiple servers.
It seems that Apptivity's wide breadth comes at a price. Unfortunately, the Apptivity Developer IDE doesn't quite measure up to the competition. The debugger isn't integrated with the source editor and project browser; it's more of a standalone tool. This can come in handy when debugging distributed applications because it lets you attach to applications running on the same or other hosts. Still, all distributed development starts by building individual applications, so having an easy way to debug while remaining tightly linked to the build environment is important.
The source-code editor in Apptivity Developer has one-file-at-a-time find and replace that searches only for keywords--not for regular expressions or Boolean queries. The source browser displays things such as form elements, ODBC and JDBC connections, data sources, and aspects of the data model such as relationships that link a master form with a detail form, but it doesn't provide a class hierarchy browser or any other way to easily organize and explore source code.
It's always helpful to have wizards to walk you through unfamiliar or otherwise laborious tasks. Apptivity includes an application wizard that guides you through the several steps necessary to build the shell of a data-access application. Several wizard pages provide pull-down lists of data sources, tables, and columns, plus a simple query builder.
Apptivity's application wizard uses ODBC to read data sources, so you must have an ODBC connection to the database to be accessed by the application at development time--even if the application will use JDBC for database calls. ODBC isn't required at application deployment time if using JDBC. Apptivity supports high-performance Type 4 native protocol JDBC calls to Microsoft, Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and Progress data sources through the Apptivity Server.
The action wizard lists all of the possible events that the selected form element can generate, as well as the possible actions that can occur in response. The Corba wizard provides the same sort of step-by-step context-sensitive assistance. Corba, the Common Object Request Broker Architecture as defined by the Object Management Group, provides a framework for sharing objects across networks without concern for language or platform. The Apptivity Server uses Corba objects in server-side applications but doesn't itself implement a Corba object request broker. The Server also manages application sessions and performs load balancing across multiple servers.
As Java development tools reach version levels beyond 1.x (or even reach such lofty figures as Visual J++ 6.0 by skipping five or so version levels) we are seeing each vendor carving a niche. SuperCede is noted for its superfast optimized code. Apptivity is data-centered at its core and reaches far to accommodate distributed computing architectures. Microsoft Visual J++ 6.0 will be very strong in all aspects--but only, of course, in the context of Microsoft's Distributed interNet Architecture. Sun Java Workshop is the centerpiece visual tool from the birthplace of Java. Symantec Visual Café is the strongest independent applet builder and is quick to respond to competitor challenges. Many other tools can be found for other specialties. The savvy Java developer will choose the tool that fits the job.
return to page 1
Back to Labs
Send Us Your Feedback
Top of the Page
Featured Microsite
