JavaSoft: A welcome addition to the Intranet<\/p>\n
By Yenni Kwok<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A gamelan player, who performed for the
\nEnterprise Java Summit seminar last Thursday, translated the
\nJavanese on the banner as saying, The Big Growth of the Java
\nLanguage. It is anticipating the growth of the Java programming
\nlanguage, which is to be integrated into the booming Intranet
\ntechnology.<\/p>\n
Miko Matsumura, a Java programming laguange expert for
\nJavaSoft, argues that Java is just right for the Intranet because
\nof its security superiority, cross platform features and small-
\nsize files.<\/p>\n
Intranet is a local area network of computers that may or may
\nnot be connected to the Internet. It is basically a mini, limited
\nversion of the global Internet.<\/p>\n
One of the issues concerning Intranet users is security. A
\ncompany's important documents are stored in one common server,
\nlinked and shared by a number of computers. Thus, it is essential
\nthat any Intranet is protected with security firewalls.<\/p>\n
Java can provide the required security, said Tan Bee Tin, the
\ntechnical consultant for the Sun Microsystems in Singapore. She
\nsaid Java can secure and protect all layers of an application,
\nsystem or network in an Intranet.<\/p>\n
Java History<\/p>\n
When Sun Microsystems choose the name Java for its new
\nprogramming language, it started to integrate some tidbits of
\nJavanese culture into the programming world. Now, in addition to
\nJava, the words gamelan and dalang are also recognized in the
\nworld of cyberspace.<\/p>\n
However, Java was not the first choice of name. Computer
\nlegend says that the language's developers first named the
\nprogramme Oak, but abandoned it because there is another product
\ncalled Oak already. They then settled on the name Java because
\nthey were avid drinkers of Java coffee while they burned the
\nmidnight oil making the program.<\/p>\n
Java is an object-oriented programming language, based on the
\nC++ programming language. In fact, Java is more dynamic than C++.
\nMoreover, Java can eliminate the possibility of overwriting
\nmemory and corrupting data because it has a pointer model.<\/p>\n
Java quickly secures the attention of new users, thanks to its
\ncross-platform features and its ability to add dynamic object
\nmovements on a web page. The movement is possible with the
\ncreation of applets, which are small Java programs.<\/p>\n
"The only time when I created 9k of files was when I, as a 12-
\nyear old kid, was working with my Atari 400," said the 28-year-
\nold Matsumura. He compares the 9k files he programmed then with
\nthe 9k files of applets, which are small Java programs. "When was
\nthe last time your computer surprised you?" he asked
\nrhetorically.<\/p>\n
He also pointed out while people are obsessed with virtual
\nreality and artificial intelligence, Java is based on actual
\nreality and human intelligence.<\/p>\n
Right now, Java applets can be found on some web pages in
\nanimated or game form, providing interactivity between the
\ncomputer and the user.<\/p>\n
On the Intranet, Java can be used to accommodate in-house
\nnecessities. Shirish Netke, of Sun Microsystems, said a good
\nexample of where to apply Java would be in a hospital. It can
\nallow physicians to view real-time ICU, blood-pressure or EKG
\ndata.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Java still has its limitations. Once Internet
\nusers open a page with Java applets, they will have to download
\nJava bytecodes from the Net and run them on their own machines.<\/p>\n
Despite their small size, Java applets take ages to download.
\nThey are even 10 times slower than regular GIF animations.<\/p>\n
Matsumura acknowledged the limitation, but he said the Java
\ndevelopers are working to fix the problem.<\/p>\n
He also pointed out how fast the progress, such as in cable
\nmodems, ISDN and many other areas, has been over the years, all
\nof which will support faster data transfer.<\/p>\n
"When I was 12 years old, the maximum modem speed was only 300
\nbps. It is now 28.8 kbps. Meanwhile, a common computer memory
\nsize was 16k, while now it is 16 Mb. The modem speed increase is
\nmuch bigger, in a much shorter time than the increase in computer
\nmemory," Matsumura said.<\/p>\n
License<\/p>\n
Since its release in 1995, Sun Microsystems, the parent
\ncompany of JavaSoft, has issued Java licenses to many companies,
\nsuch as Apple, IBM, Novell, SGI, Tandem, and even Microsoft
\nitself.<\/p>\n
The license gives source codes and permission to the companies
\nto develop Java, and in return, any developments they make need
\nto be reported to Sun Microsystems, said Matsumura.<\/p>\n
Microsoft has developed a language similar to Java, which is
\ncode-named Jakarta. While Microsoft has not released the long-
\nawaited Jakarta, it has released ActiveX control.<\/p>\n
ActiveX control combines the OLE (Object Linking and
\nEmbedding) and Java applet component technologies. ActiveX can
\nadd more controls and features to web sites, for example, an
\nanimation control.<\/p>\n
Will Java be threatened by ActiveX?<\/p>\n
Matsumura does not think so. "I am not really paranoid about
\nActiveX," Matsumura said.<\/p>\n
"Java is a network language," he said. He also added that it
\nis written for cross-platforming and for a network environment,
\nwhether that be the Internet or Intranet. On the other hand,
\nActiveX is an attempt by Microsoft to revisit 8-year-old
\ntechnology. Moreover, because Microsoft products are so attached
\nto Windows (in fact, ActiveX controls only work on the Windows 95
\noperating system), it will be difficult to move on with those
\ncodes.<\/p>\n
Tan shares this opinion. She said that ActiveX does not have
\nquite the same features as Java. "Java is cross-platform, and
\nbecause it is made up of bytecodes, it is smaller than ActiveX,
\nwhich uses binary codes."<\/p>\n
People dressed in traditional Javanese costume appeared at
\nmany times both before and during the seminar. And gamelan music
\nwas often playing in the background.<\/p>\n
It created a strange atmosphere to begin with. After all,
\nJavanese culture originated a long time ago and it tends to be
\nquiet and subtle. The Java programming language, on the other
\nhand, is a modern development, ready to take on future technology
\ndemands.<\/p>\n
However, Matsumura, whose Java presentation brought him to the
\nisland of the same name for the first time, saw it from a
\ndifferent perspective. "The Java programming language and
\nJavanese culture are both ornate, decorative and complex. And, I
\ndon't ever think that for a programming language like this, we
\nshould name it after a place like, let's say, Michigan."<\/p>",
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