Compaq rethinks Java support in PCs

Compaq Computer Corp. recently stepped up its support for Java, rethinking an earlier plan not to bundle support for the technology with desktop and laptop computers running Microsoft Corp.’s forthcoming Windows XP operating system.

The computer maker said it now plans to bundle a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) with every Windows XP computer it sells, meaning users will be able to run Java programs without having to install the software on their own. Microsoft last month said it plans to phase out support for Java in key desktop software products. Beginning with Windows XP and its upcoming Internet Explorer 6 Web browser, Microsoft will no longer include a built-in JVM, instead requiring users to download the program from Microsoft’s Web site or from a third-party vendor. A JVM runs independently of a computer’s operating system and allows virtually any type of computer from PCs to cell phones to run applications written in Java. Without the software a device would not be able to run Java programs, which can be used to jazz up a Web pages with dynamic features like a stock ticker, or to build Web-based applications such as online video games

Study: Java to overtake C++ next year

Java will overtake C and C++ as the language of choice among software developers worldwide by next year, according to survey results released by U.S.-based research firm Evans Data Corp. recently.

Of the 400 programmers from 60 countries outside North America who participated in the company’s survey, 60 per cent said they expect to spend more of their time using Java next year, more so than C, C++ or Visual Basic. Janel Garvin, vice-president of research at Evans Data, who presented her findings at IBM’s Solutions technical developer conference in San Francisco, said that the total number of users of Java has grown since 1998 when it first began tracking Java usage. “Java is even stronger outside North America,” Garvin said. “At least half of all international developers surveyed use it today. In fact, the average time they spent using Java rose from 9.1 per cent in 1999 to 17.7 percent currently.”

Iona looks to make Web services interoperable

Playing the peacemaker, Iona Technologies PLC is aiming to make Web services built in J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) usable under .NET software and vice versa, company officials said.

The Iona XMLBus, currently in beta, enables developers to build Web services on the Iona iPortal, BEA Systems Inc.’s WebLogic, or IBM Corp.’s WebSphere and take advantage of services built on .NET. XMLBus has passed interoperability testing with nine Web service implementations, according to Rebecca Dias, Dublin-based Iona’s product manager for XMLBus. Iona’s XMLBus currently supports Java applications and EJBs (Enterprise JavaBeans), Dias said. “The next two desires for us in the short term are JMS and CORBA, and then eventually CICS and IMS,” she added.

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