EXE articles from October 1999

EXE archives from October 1999

Of syllables and syllabi.(teaching of programming languages)(Technology Information)
October 1, 1999... Programming languages have always been a topic close to the heart of developers. Heated debates, even quasi-religious (flame) wars, have raged over which language is ObetterO. There are many arguments, for example, which language to use for...

The Voyage from ObjectSpace.(Voyager Application Server 3.1 application development software)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 1999... ObjectSpace has updated its (100% Pure Java) Voyager Application Server to version 3.1. ItOs an EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans) development environment for application programmers and EJB-component builders. It enables the development of scalable,...

Digests.
October 1, 1999... IBMOs DB2 Everywhere is an RDBMS with a footprint of around 100 KB. Following agreements with Palm Computing and Puma Technology, the system is designed to help DB2 Universal Database developers create applications for handheld devices. DB2...

Synchronising HoTMetal Pro 6.0.(SoftQuad's Web authorizing software)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 1999... Version 6.0 of HotTMetal Pro, SoftQuadOs web authoring tool, features enhanced FTP capabilities, automated, synchronised site updates, and remote file editing. Aimed at both professional developers and new HTML users, it comes bundled with a...

Servlet debugger.(Lutris Technologies' Enhydra Servlet Debugger debugging/testing software)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 1999... Java developers creating servlets for the Web are the target for the Enhydra Servlet Debugger from Lutris Technologies. A servlet itself, it can run in any servlet environment, including Apache JServ from Apache Software. No modifications to...

A Rational RoseLink by any other name.(Ensemble Systems' RoseLink for JDeveloper application development software)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 1999... An integration between Rational Rose and Oracle JDeveloper 2.0, called RoseLink for JDeveloper (RLJD), has been developed by Ensemble Systems. The idea is that developers benefit from designing OO software by using Rational Rose 98i and...

A bootstrap for appliances.(Integrated Systems' free WebPDA network software)(Company Business and Marketing)
October 1, 1999... To bootstrap the development of Internet appliances, Integrated Systems Inc. (ISI) is offering a hardware and software reference design free of charge. The WebPDA platform is based on the Mitsubishi M32R/D microprocessor (32-bit RISC CPU with 2...

Visio 2000.(Visio's presentation graphics software)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 1999... Visio is releasing its Visio 2000 platform in stages. The Standard edition (SE), the base product, and the Technical edition, for engineers, are available now. The Pro and Enterprise editions (more targeted at developers) are slated for mid...

Xanadu E the pleasure dome is open.(udanax.com's HTML offerings)(Company Business and Marketing)
October 1, 1999... It was only last month that Soapflakes bemoaned the neglect of hypertext. Well, the father of the term back in the 60s and an original pioneer of the web-like ideals behind it, Ted Nelson, has stepped into the spotlight once again with Xanadu....

Databases from the front-end.(Apex Software's True DataControl 6.0 and DBInput Pro 6.0 DBMSes)(Product Announcement)
October 1, 1999... Two upgraded controls from Apex Software concern the development of database front-end applications: True DataControl 6.0 and DBInput Pro 6.0. Replacing True DBWizard 5.0, True DataControl 6.0 is an ActiveX control to supplant the standard...

All certified; When you canOt even remember the names of all the skills your employees need, how can you tell whether they have them? Jules is training himself to be sympathetic. Jules is a programmer, writer, hardware designer ... hang on ... nope, he can only afford to be a programmer. You can contact him on 01707 662698, or at mayhem@jules.cix.co.uk.(programmers' qualifications)(Industry Trend or Event)
October 1, 1999... The way programmers talk, youOd think they like being in a field that turns over its skills base every two years E they use words like OexcitingO and Ocutting edge of technologyO even though another programming manual can hardly be described as...

ISO-compliant VC++.(Technology Information)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 1999... Dear Sir, Many programmers find Microsoft VC++ a generally robust and effective product, which seems to improve with each new release. For these people, and new VC++ users, it is important that compliance with the ISO C++ standard is made...

Ivory towers.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 1999... Dear Sir, In your July edition Alex Telford discusses the explosive subject of language design and why languages always seem to have clinkers in them (Self-selection of the species? EXE, July 1999). Personally, I doubt very much whether...

Swinging the lead.(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 1999... Dear Sir, I loved the Mayhem article (Swinging the lead, August 1999). I think Jules has given credit to us. One thing I would like to add is that for us overseas people, it can be a lonely existence, especially if you donOt speak the...

Sealed with a kiss; ThatOs keep it simple, stupid. Taking a cue from The Elements of Programming Style. Peter Collinson offers ten aphorisms for the autumn. Peter Collinson is a freelance consultant specialising in Unix. He can be reached electronically at pc@hillside.co.uk, by phone on 01227 761824, or on the Web at http://www.hillside.co.uk.(Technology Tutorial)
October 1, 1999... My dictionary tells me that an aphorism is a short pithy phrase or maxim. Sometimes, having a short mantra to sum up a situation can help. In the US, when driving a hire car, I keep repeating Othe driver drives in the middle of the roadO. The...

The worth of one smile; Francis Glassborow suggests the Cheshire Cat idiom be used as the default mechanism for implementing a type during design and development.(language programming)(Technology Tutorial)
October 1, 1999... One comment that is often made about programming languages is the degree to which they allow the programmer to hide information. I mean really hide, not just restrict access. Failure to hide information can result in massive and costly...

Performance Data Helper; Mark Smith is a contractor, currently working to improve the performance of a large simulation application. You can reach him at msmitha@cix.co.uk.(Performance Monitoring API for Borland Delphi application development software)(Technology Tutorial)
October 1, 1999... Delphi makes a fine Windows development tool, but because of the number of specialised Windows APIs that Borland has not converted to Pascal, many useful Windows features are hidden from view. This is a pity, since the casual Delphi user or the...

Exactly 3.0 observations; Lou Grinzo hopes that Sun will do the right thing by the work of IBMOs Mike Cowlishaw who has re-engineered the BigDecimal class. Lou Grinzo has been working with and writing about desktop computers for more years than heOll publicly admit. HeOs currently focusing on cross-platform technologies, including Java, Linux, and XML. His website is http://www.gizmoDrome.com and you can email him at lou@gizmoDrome.com.(Company Business and Marketing)
October 1, 1999... The first of my three observations is something that IOve been quoting as one of OLouOs Laws of ComputersO for years, namely that you should avoid binary floating-point numbers and all operations with them whenever possible. The reasoning is...

Administering SQL Server with Visual; Jon Perkins is a freelance Visual Basic developer and a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer. He is a contributing author of Advanced Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 by The Mandelbrot Set, published by Microsoft Press. The example SQL-DMO program is called DmoDemo.zip and is available from EXE Online or from http://www.jonperkins.com/exe/col1099.htm.(SQL Server 7.0, Microsoft's Visual Studio 6.0 Enterprise Edition application development software)(Product Support)
October 1, 1999... Last month I introduced the ADOX library, which makes its debut with version 2.1 of ADO. ADOX is a means of providing the developer with the facility to manipulate schemas in different database backends, albeit with a fairly limited...

Cry Hack it! and let slip the Pentiums of War.(US reportedly to offer Russians help in combatting cyerterrorism by Islamic terrorists)(Humor)(Government Activity)
October 1, 1999... Cyberterrorism is on the increase these days. From high profile examples E a number of cracking attempts on big business were reported to have taken place during the June 18 anti-capitalist OeventO E to frankly funny events such as the hacking...

Space blob.(NASA's proposed space instrument)(Government Activity)(Humor)
October 1, 1999... No, itOs not a spacedog. ItOs a floating red ball, of course. Boffins at NASA have come up with a concept for a PDA, sorry, PSA E Personal Space Assistant. Apparently, the things will float about the International Space Station like ermE round...

Nine nine ninety nine.(Sep 9, 1999 and Y2K date testing)(Industry Trend or Event)
October 1, 1999... When is a bug not a bug? When itOs 9/9/99, of course! The pre-Y2K date passed without so much as a single well-publicised failure. Prophets of Doom will no doubt be terribly upset. It had been reckoned that this once-in-a-century date might see...

A sheep amid the wolves.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1999... As we were writing these words it was announced that the long-awaited UK eCommerce OTsarO had been appointed. Leaving aside the fact that the government and media insist on spelling it OCzarO, which is patently wrong E go read the British...

The all-new adventures of Verity Stob; When the Editor heard the Poet Laureate had taken it into his head to read poems to the TUC, he was not impressed. OThatOs bound to set Stob off again,O he said. And so it has.
October 1, 1999... O why do you sit in your crumpled clothes, Typing so much and so much? You Dilbertish minnow that society loathes Why must you sit in your crumpled clothes, Your mouse in a hot sweaty clutch? A loner in anorak, with your...

Digests (2).(three software or hardware products)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 1999... As the result of an agreement between Gemplus and Symantec, Java developers will be able to design and build Java Card applets for SIM cards in a familiar environment. As well as GemXplore CASE, a SIM software development environment, Gemplus...

Digests (2a).(five software and hardware products)(Buyers Guide)
October 1, 1999... IP*Works 4.0 is a set of TCP/IP programming components and tools. Version 4.0 sees six new ActiveX controls (bringing the total to 22): SNMP, LDAP, IMAP, MIME, MX, and SNPP. It costs 179 pounds from ComponentSource. www.componentsource.com...