No business makes a fortune by forcing customers to wait for service. But customers using browsers to download files from mainframes and AS/400s -- where an estimated 70% of the world's data resides -- have been forced to first spend 10 minutes downloading Java code using existing tools.

ResQNet Inc. says its new ResQPortal software (shipping April 10) lets customers access 3270 and 5250 files from legacy systems after downloading a seconds-slim Java applet via an HTML screen. To date, E-businesses have had to write their own code to eliminate the delay or hope potential buyers would put up with the wait.

"Our customers won't wait around for Java to load," says Lewis Wolfe, computer services manager at Farmers Mutual Protective Association, a $40 million insurance company in Temple, Texas. At the same time, Wolfe says he and his tiny IT staff didn't have the resources to create their own code.

"Now customers at the high end can do automatic rejuvenation of ugly legacy screens with no complex programming," says Anura Guruge, an independent industry analyst. ResQPortal will start at $30,000 complete with server component, run-time licenses, customization studio, and training.