A Java pioneer looks at the state of the art, Java-wise, and wonders if it is ready for prime-time business applications.
Ken examines the ActiveX technology called Automation (formerly "OLE Automation"), and shows how you can implement it in Java.
With the JDK 1.1 Reflection API, you can not only discover the fields, methods and constructors of loaded classes, but also dynamically manipulate them within the basic security framework. Chris Howard adds a note on the relationship between reflection and JavaBeans.
Assertions act like watchdogs that assist you in finding bugs earlier in the development process. Our authors show how you implement assertions for Java.
Matt explores the class file format -- the key to Java's binary portability. He then presents JavaDump, a program that documents structures in class files, and StripDebug, which removes extra debug information from classes.
"Internationalization" is the process of preparing programs to run in other languages. Carol examines Java's Internationalization API and shows how you can use it to design global software.
Dan discusses Java's concurrency features, presenting classes for mutual exclusion and synchronization that mimic the behavior and interfaces of the synchronization mechanisms available in the Win32 API.
SimulEdit, the text editor presented here, lets groups of people edit the same file at the same time. Enabling this application are generic network data objects (NDOs) which are shared among multiple processes communicating over a network.
JDBC, short for "Java Database Connectivity," provides a programming-level interface for communicating with databases in a uniform way. Mukul discusses the different categories of JDBC drivers, then compares them in terms of performance.
Microsoft's J/Direct, which ships as part of Internet Explorer 4.0 (and with future versions of Windows 95/NT and Internet Information Server) simplifies the Java native code calling process almost to the point where a DLL function can be directly called from within a Java applet or application.
Will the next killer app really be a "FUDchecker"? And, if so, will it be written in Java?
Conferences, committees, and CodeWizard are the three Cs that Al sails this month.
Resizable data structures are flexible, but array-based structures are fast. John shows you how to get the best of both worlds.
This month, Cliff addresses centralized systems administration using Marimba's Castanet 2.0 channel (and JavaSoft's HotJavaBean) for distributing secure, signed content to users.
The 80386 introduced microprocessor support for emulating multiple 8086s. Robert looks under the hood of these Virtual Mode Extensions, which are mostly used by memory managers and DOS boxes in Windows.
Greg looks at Visual Basic 5 from the Ground Up, by Gary Cornell; UML Distilled, by Martin Fowler (with Kendall Scott); The CRC Card Book, by David Bellin and Susan Suchman Simone; and GUI Design Essentials, by Susan Weinschenk, Pamela Jamar, and Sarah C. Yeo.