Java^TM 2 Platform, Standard Edition to deliver unparalleled client-side performance and significant functionality gains

by Jon Byous

November 15, 1999 -- The fastest Java^TM platform performance ever is now available for download, and is coming to your mailbox from America Online (AOL), thanks to an agreement between Sun and AOL to deliver the Java Runtime Environment on the AOL 5.0 CD-ROM.

With a comprehensive client-side distribution strategy in place, Sun is putting the finishing touches on this super-high-performance client-side release of the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE).

In addition to addressing the calls for faster client-side performance, Sun's design goal for the next release of J2SE includes refined deployment capabilities, stronger functionality, and more stability.

All of that, and more, is here now in the beta release and will have its final release early in 2000. For many developers, it's worth the wait. The newest version of J2SE technology, v 1.3, is expected to deliver momentous performance gains and improved Web deployment for enterprise-grade, client-side applets and applications. And just about everything else developers have been asking for.

From Basic Functionality to Extreme Performance

Java technology running on the client, or desktop, has made dramatic improvements since the birth of the Java platform and is playing a key role in enterprises today, particularly in intranet and business-to-business applications.

The biggest growth areas for Java technology on the client today are in business communications over intranets and the Internet. Major corporations are having great success developing and using client-based applets, which provide new services and functionality more quickly by avoiding the long development cycle of traditional programming languages.

At the most basic level, the J2SE platform gives client-side users a wide range of features and capabilities that set it above alternative development languages:

• Graphically rich user interface (vs. HTML)
• Local data manipulation (vs. HTML)
• Cross-platform compatibility (vs. ActiveX and C++)
• Extreme security (vs. ActiveX)
• Maintainable code (vs. JavaScript^TM)
• Web deployed applications (vs. C++)

From a broader perspective, the success and adoption of J2SE and continued innovation and improvements illustrate a more realistic picture of the state of the Java platform on the client: technologies such as the Java Plug-In, the Java HotSpot^TM Client Virtual Machine, Java Foundation Classes, the Java Media Framework, and XML data integration are converging to enable enterprise customers to deliver mission-critical, client-side Java technology-based applets and applications, both on the Internet and in business-to-business e-commerce solutions.

What's New in the Java^TM 2 Platform, Standard Edition v 1.3?

Sun has made spectacular improvements in J2SE v 1.3 technology to improve its performance and simplify Web deployment.

Raw Speed -- Delivered

On the performance front, Sun has made several big advances.

Client-side users now enjoy the speed advantage of the new Java HotSpot Client Virtual Machine. It uses the same underlying technology as the current Java HotSpot Server Virtual Machine, but has been tuned for client performance through a new client compiler. The result is much faster thread handling for improved scalability and rapid memory allocation for objects decreasing J2SE platform's RAM footprint, and the platform has gained a much more efficient garbage collector. All of these enhancements spell speed for the desktop user.

For Graphical User Interface (GUI) performance, the Java Foundation Classes and Project Swing (JFC/Swing) libraries have been super-tuned to enhance scrolling speed. The GUI components that developers use to create tables and frames for their applications have also been improved. For example, JInternalFrame performance has been boosted, and JTable now renders much faster and offers better scalability.

Also, the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) repaint batching improves performance and the perceived user experience, and even the Java 2D^TM API has been optimized for speed.

How Fast Is Fast?

The numbers are impressive. Compared to Sun's internal benchmarks for JDK^TM v 1.2.1 software, the new performance improvements deliver a 40-percent reduction in start-up time, a 25-percent reduction in memory footprint (about a 3-to-4 MB reduction for a typical JFC/Swing technology-based application), and a 60-percent faster raw Java Virtual Machine speed.

Some corporate users who have tested J2SE v 1.3 performance say they would be satisfied to have their servers perform this well.

NetBeans vice president of development Ian Formanek says, "Client-side performance is notably enhanced with JDK 1.3. The user interface is extremely responsive and memory requirements have dropped significantly."

NetBeans' cross-platform integrated development environments (IDEs) enable developers to work on the platform of their choice with no mismatch between the development environment and the developed application. J2SE v 1.3 software allows NetBeans' own developers to be much more productive in creating such a feature-intensive product as an integrated development environment.

Easy Web Deployment -- Done

The Java 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (JRE) includes the Java Plug-In software, which means the J2SE platform v 1.3 can be used in most Microsoft Windows-based versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape^TM Communicator right now.

For v 1.3, two new features make Web-based applet deployment faster and more flexible:

• Applet Caching lets you deploy applets that remain on a local hard drive until updated. It eliminates the need for users to re-download large applets when making return visits to the same Web page.

• Optional Package Installation lets you deploy Optional Packages (previously known as Standard Extensions) automatically. Optional Packages can be hosted on internal networks or across the Internet.

Java^TM 2 Platfrom, Standard Edition: A Development Kit and a Runtime Environment

The new J2SE platform is the premier platform for building and deploying network-centric, enterprise-grade applications and applets. Developers are urged to upgrade to J2SE v 1.3 software, which includes two software packages: the Java 2 Platform Software Development Kit (SDK), and the Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE).

The SDK is the primary platform used by developers to create Java technology-based applications and applets. There have been more than one million downloads of the Java 2 Software Development Kit so far.

The JRE enables users to run Java technology-based applications and applets on top of their various operating systems. It is freely re-distributable and is bundled with applications and applets.

When Will All This Be Available?

The first customer release (FCS) ship date is planned for the first quarter of calendar year 2000.

Currently, J2SE v 1.3 software is in beta and is available via Sun's Java Developer Connection^SM Web site.

AOL Takes Java^TM 2 Platform, Standard Edition to the Streets

On June 16th, 1999, Sun announced an initiative with America Online (AOL) to support the current shipping version of J2SE technology in their Web clients by including the JRE.

AOL now includes support for the Java 2 platform in its current mass CD-ROM shipment of AOL 5.0.

100 million AOL 5.0 CDs have already gone out in the mail to U.S. users who can simply double-click to install the new JRE and thus be able to run the most advanced applications faster than they ever imagined. Worldwide distribution is just around the corner. In addition, anyone not on the AOL mailing list can quickly download the JRE from the Java Developer Connection area of Sun's Java technology Web site.

The New Heart and Soul of Java 2 Platform Performance

The beta release of the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition v 1.3 is a significant upgrade release of the Java 2 platform. It delivers remarkable client-performance gains and improved Web deployment for enterprise-grade, client-side Java technology-based applets and applications. Here are the key components of its success.

Java Plug-In Software
Released in April, 1998, Java Plug-In software enables enterprise customers to run applets or JavaBeans^TM architecture-based components on their intranet Web pages using Sun's JRE instead of the Web browser's default virtual machine. This improves application consistency and reliability when running applets.

With the release of the Java 2 platform, the Java Plug-In software is now bundled directly with the JRE. Sun's release of the Java Plug-In software successfully addresses developer concerns over browser incompatibilities and lag-time in virtual machine support.

Java Media Framework 2.0 API
The Java Media Framework (JMF) 2.0 API is an optional package to the Java 2 platform that allows developers to easily incorporate audio and video into applets and applications. JMF 2.0 technology adds media capture, compression, transcode and transmission capabilities on top of the flexible playback features provided in JMF 1.0 API, and it supports important media types and codecs like MP3, Flash, and IBM's HotMedia.

This optional package was co-developed with IBM. The beta release of JMF 2.0 API was posted on August 16th, 1999, and the final release is expected to be available at the end of November.

Java Foundation Classes/Project Swing Technology
The Java Foundation Classes (JFC) API -- a comprehensive set of graphical user interface (GUI) components and foundation services based on the JavaBeans component model -- provide great power and flexibility to developers in creating the look and feel of Java technology-based applications. The JFC extensions first shipped on February 25, 1998, and will be included as a core component with the J2SE v 1.3 release.

The JFC API also is known for bringing two-dimensional functionality to the Java platform. Project Swing components, which were introduced in February 1998 as an external library to the JDK 1.1. software, are written in the Java programming language without window-system-specific code. This greatly improves ease of development of client-side applications while at the same time providing consistent appearance and behavior of client-side applications across different operating systems.

Java Technology and XML
Sun led the effort to create the eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and is now leading the community effort to deliver first-class XML support in the Java 2 platform. XML and the Java 2 platform are a powerful combination: XML provides portable, reusable data, and the Java platform provides portable, reusable, and maintainable code. In combination, Java technology and XML create a powerful platform for building open, standards-based, client side e-commerce applications.

Through the Java Community Process, several initiatives are underway to simplify the creation and maintenance of XML-enabled applications written in the Java language. Two examples of these initiatives are a Java technology-based XML parsing optional package that will enable applications to more easily read and manipulate XML documents, and an XML data-binding facility that will dynamically bind XML content and Java objects, making it simple for developers to program in XML and Java technology. Moreover, JavaServer Pages^TM technology can be used to generate and "consume" XML documents between servers and clients.

Better Security
Security of communications is critical for successful Internet operations. J2SE platform's security capabilities are extended by three important optional security packages that serve to protect against a range of Internet threats. These security features include the Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE), the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) and the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE).

JSSE is a Java technology-based implementation of the popular Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) application and provides for the integrity, confidentiality and containment of Internet communications.

The Java Authentication and Authorization Service is an important component of the overall Java platform security architecture. It is designed to provide coverage for both authentication and authorization for the Java language. As such it will complement the other elements of the Java platform security architecture, including the fine-grained access control model, cryptography capabilities and secure socket communications.

Cryptographic techniques allow Internet users to communicate secretly to ensure the privacy and integrity of their communications. This is critically important due to the new risks associated with Internet communications. Secure communications, e-commerce operations, data storage, authentication, and non-repudiation of activities require cryptographic capabilities. Non-repudiation is of particular importance in business applications because it ensures that a party cannot claim that a transaction did not happen. The need for cryptographic capabilities is addressed by the Java Cryptography Architecture (JCA), which must be divided into two segments, core Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) and JCE, due to practical considerations resulting from U.S. export regulations.

Widely used RSA digital signatures and associated certificates are now supported directly in the J2SE platform via the Java Cryptography Architecture. This support, along with the integration in the J2SE technology JAR (Java Archive) signing tool, allows developers to sign their applets and applications for safe installation by end users, who can verify the creator of the applet or application through certificates installed in the browser.

Additionally, the Jarsigner tool can now verify Netscape-signed JAR files allowing users to securely receive files sent from Netscape browsers.

Customers Go for the Early Advantage

Many of Sun's Java technology customers have been involved in testing the beta release, and they aren't hesitating to put J2SE platform v 1.3 to work. Following are two examples.

The browser's Java technology-based GUI makes it "run like a dream" says Object Design's Andy Marphy.

Building Their Own Browser
Object Design makes a wide variety of business-to-business and business-to-consumer applications, including supply-chain management, Web e-commerce, enterprise information portals, knowledge management and Web-based marketplaces.

Their challenge was to build a visual browser for their object-oriented database. Their ObjectStore Java technology-based browser will be a visual browser for inspect/queries on their database.

Object Design is currently running JDK 1.2.2 and JDK 1.3 beta software, and say they are impressed with the Java HotSpot Client Virtual Machine performance as well as the evolution of the JFC/Swing Library. The big advantage for them is developing a set of GUI tools for multiple platforms with the same code, as well as ease of use.

"Having our GUI Java application run like a native code application is a dream that became reality," says Object Design's Ivan Pedruzzi. "We believe the J2SE v. 1.3 software will be one of the keys of our success."

Better Trouble Ticketing
Visionnaire is a consulting and services company specializing in software development, training, product support, mentoring and general consulting. Their area of expertise is in CORBA and telecommunications, and they are the official representative of the Object Management Group in Brazil. They are also partners with RogueWave and Inprise.

Visionnaire's first challenge was to create a Java technology-enabled customer-care product, Trouble Ticket, for telecommunication companies.

Java technology helped them on both client and back-end with improved productivity, distribution convenience, and vendor independence. Visionannire says they are excited about the possiblities of J2SE v 1.3 software. They say they intend to push each of these critical parameters and expect to see greater client satisfaction and corporate profitability.

See Also

Java^TM 2 Platform, Standard Edition
(http://java.sun.com/jdk/)

ObjectStore
(http://www.odi.com/objectstore/)

Visionnaire
(http://www.visionnaire.com.br/)

[ This page was updated: 05-Nov-99 ]