InformationWeek

December 7, 1998

Java Upgrade Aimed At Business

By Jason Levitt, InformationWeek Labs

un Microsystems' Java Development Kit 1.2 is a comprehensive upgrade to the Java platform and, though still in pre-release, can be used by businesses now to get a jump-start on development of JDK 1.2-compliant applets. Highlights of the upgrade include security enhancements such as X.509 certificate APIs and policy-based access control. It also comes with a new graphical user interface API, called Swing, that lets Java applications emulate an operating system's look and feel. For more on JDK 1.2's new features, go to java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2.

Also new is Sun's Java Runtime Environment 1.2, which includes a free Java plug-in for Microsoft's and Netscape's Web browsers. The plug-in can be used to run Java applets or JavaBeans components using the Java virtual machine in JRE 1.2 instead of the one in your browser.

Sun is aiming the plug-in at business users who want to deploy JDK 1.2-compliant applets on intranet pages. To obtain the plug-in, download JRE 1.2 (available now as pre-release software for Windows 95, 98, and NT, as well as Solaris) at java. sun.com/products/plugin. Doing so will let you run JDK 1.2-compliant applications as well as applets and JavaBeans components.

A list of features and compatibility details can be found at java.sun.com/products/plugin/plugin.faq.html.

Return to: Application Development: Java Momentum Builds

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