JavaSoft: A welcome addition to the Intranet

By Yenni Kwok

JAKARTA (JP): A gamelan player, who performed for the Enterprise Java Summit seminar last Thursday, translated the Javanese on the banner as saying, The Big Growth of the Java Language. It is anticipating the growth of the Java programming language, which is to be integrated into the booming Intranet technology.

Miko Matsumura, a Java programming laguange expert for JavaSoft, argues that Java is just right for the Intranet because of its security superiority, cross platform features and small- size files.

Intranet is a local area network of computers that may or may not be connected to the Internet. It is basically a mini, limited version of the global Internet.

One of the issues concerning Intranet users is security. A company's important documents are stored in one common server, linked and shared by a number of computers. Thus, it is essential that any Intranet is protected with security firewalls.

Java can provide the required security, said Tan Bee Tin, the technical consultant for the Sun Microsystems in Singapore. She said Java can secure and protect all layers of an application, system or network in an Intranet.

Java History

When Sun Microsystems choose the name Java for its new programming language, it started to integrate some tidbits of Javanese culture into the programming world. Now, in addition to Java, the words gamelan and dalang are also recognized in the world of cyberspace.

However, Java was not the first choice of name. Computer legend says that the language's developers first named the programme Oak, but abandoned it because there is another product called Oak already. They then settled on the name Java because they were avid drinkers of Java coffee while they burned the midnight oil making the program.

Java is an object-oriented programming language, based on the C++ programming language. In fact, Java is more dynamic than C++. Moreover, Java can eliminate the possibility of overwriting memory and corrupting data because it has a pointer model.

Java quickly secures the attention of new users, thanks to its cross-platform features and its ability to add dynamic object movements on a web page. The movement is possible with the creation of applets, which are small Java programs.

"The only time when I created 9k of files was when I, as a 12- year old kid, was working with my Atari 400," said the 28-year- old Matsumura. He compares the 9k files he programmed then with the 9k files of applets, which are small Java programs. "When was the last time your computer surprised you?" he asked rhetorically.

He also pointed out while people are obsessed with virtual reality and artificial intelligence, Java is based on actual reality and human intelligence.

Right now, Java applets can be found on some web pages in animated or game form, providing interactivity between the computer and the user.

On the Intranet, Java can be used to accommodate in-house necessities. Shirish Netke, of Sun Microsystems, said a good example of where to apply Java would be in a hospital. It can allow physicians to view real-time ICU, blood-pressure or EKG data.

Nevertheless, Java still has its limitations. Once Internet users open a page with Java applets, they will have to download Java bytecodes from the Net and run them on their own machines.

Despite their small size, Java applets take ages to download. They are even 10 times slower than regular GIF animations.

Matsumura acknowledged the limitation, but he said the Java developers are working to fix the problem.

He also pointed out how fast the progress, such as in cable modems, ISDN and many other areas, has been over the years, all of which will support faster data transfer.

"When I was 12 years old, the maximum modem speed was only 300 bps. It is now 28.8 kbps. Meanwhile, a common computer memory size was 16k, while now it is 16 Mb. The modem speed increase is much bigger, in a much shorter time than the increase in computer memory," Matsumura said.

License

Since its release in 1995, Sun Microsystems, the parent company of JavaSoft, has issued Java licenses to many companies, such as Apple, IBM, Novell, SGI, Tandem, and even Microsoft itself.

The license gives source codes and permission to the companies to develop Java, and in return, any developments they make need to be reported to Sun Microsystems, said Matsumura.

Microsoft has developed a language similar to Java, which is code-named Jakarta. While Microsoft has not released the long- awaited Jakarta, it has released ActiveX control.

ActiveX control combines the OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) and Java applet component technologies. ActiveX can add more controls and features to web sites, for example, an animation control.

Will Java be threatened by ActiveX?

Matsumura does not think so. "I am not really paranoid about ActiveX," Matsumura said.

"Java is a network language," he said. He also added that it is written for cross-platforming and for a network environment, whether that be the Internet or Intranet. On the other hand, ActiveX is an attempt by Microsoft to revisit 8-year-old technology. Moreover, because Microsoft products are so attached to Windows (in fact, ActiveX controls only work on the Windows 95 operating system), it will be difficult to move on with those codes.

Tan shares this opinion. She said that ActiveX does not have quite the same features as Java. "Java is cross-platform, and because it is made up of bytecodes, it is smaller than ActiveX, which uses binary codes."

People dressed in traditional Javanese costume appeared at many times both before and during the seminar. And gamelan music was often playing in the background.

It created a strange atmosphere to begin with. After all, Javanese culture originated a long time ago and it tends to be quiet and subtle. The Java programming language, on the other hand, is a modern development, ready to take on future technology demands.

However, Matsumura, whose Java presentation brought him to the island of the same name for the first time, saw it from a different perspective. "The Java programming language and Javanese culture are both ornate, decorative and complex. And, I don't ever think that for a programming language like this, we should name it after a place like, let's say, Michigan."