In Part 1 of this article (JDJ, Vol. 7, issue 3) I introduced the idea of using the surrogate architecture within Jini as a platform for J2ME games. I also showed how to start Madison, Sun's reference implementation, and how to connect to it with the provided device simulator. This article continues the surrogate architecture tour and introduces a method through which a J2ME device can use it. To briefly recap, the architecture allows any device, in our case a J2ME one, to connect to a Jini network through a surrogate object that represents the device in the network. The surrogate host provides a mechanism for the devices to register themselves and obtain a context that enables access to the underlying Jini infrastructure. Another important reason for choosing the surrogate architecture is that it allows us to view the device as a single object from the network persp... (more)

Java Feature — A Generic JMS Listener for Apache Axis 1.x

Unlike the HTTP protocol there's no stable default JMS listener for invoking the Web Services exposed in Apache Axis 1.x using JMS (Java Message Service) as the transport protocol - other than the one provided merely for demo purposes. This article describes a fully working generic JMS listener that can act as a JMS transport receiver handler for Axis and allow service clients to uniquely address individual Web Services in a JMS way and invoke them over JMS. Apache Axis is a popular Java-based Open Source platform for exposing Web Services. It has native support for handling invocations into Web Services based on the SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) application protocol. By default, the Axis server supports HTTP as the protocol for transporting the SOAP payload and provides an HTTP transport listener to do the same on its own. The HTTP transport listener accepts... (more)

Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz Scopes Out Future for Sun's Cloud

"At Sun, we're planning on maintaining Java's ubiquity as the number one runtime environment, backed by the world's most price performant datacenter infrastructure, all powered by Sun's cloud." That, in no uncertain terms, is Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz's vision for Java and stresses the new role that Cloud Computing is beginning to play at Sun. "The Java platform is only growing in importance and value, across billions of devices," Schwartz noted, writing on his industry blog. He also shared his view of the overall marketplace, as follows: "First, freely distributed, open source software will continue to create enormous revenue opportunities for those that understand the underlying business model - as an example, the Java business for Sun, last quarter, delivered more than $67m in billings, up nearly 50% year over year. On an annualized basis, that means the Java client... (more)

API Economy By @AkanaInc | @ThingsExpo #IoT #M2M #Microservices #InternetOfThings

"People are a lot more knowledgeable about APIs now. There are two types of people who work with APIs - IT people who want to use APIs for something internal and the product managers who want to do something outside APIs for people to connect to them," explained Roberto Medrano, Executive Vice President at SOA Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 15th Cloud Expo, held Nov 4-6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA. Internet of Things, Data and APIs When something as simple as an API can integrate massive amounts of data into, and through, a wide variety of applications, any company can be a digital enterprise. There is a perception that some industries are using technology to innovate, while others languish in antiquated ways of running their business. But in our massively connected age, it's rare to find examples where technology isn't... (more)

Evaluating a Software Asset | @CloudExpo #Cloud #DigitalTransformation

Are you evaluating a software asset for a  potential purchase, investment, decision making for the future, possible termination, etc? Here are some questions you should consider: 1. Is this a revenue generating asset? How much revenue does it generate? - Establishing the true business value of a software asset is a critical piece of the evaluation process. 2. Is this a cost saving asset? How much cost does it save? - While cost-saving measures can indeed be a viable goal, it is important to understand the true cost savings: time, money, and any future versions necessary. 3. Does this asset have some other value? What is its value? - If you are evaluating this asset beyond business value, project leaders must discern exactly what that additional value may be. 4. How many clients use this system? How many users do I have?  How do I value each client/user of the syst... (more)

Personal Java and Inferno for Today's Consumer Devices

Personal Java PersonalJavaª is a new Java Application Environment for network-connectable applications on personal consumer devices for home, office and mobile use. It is designed specifically for resource limited environments. PersonalJava is designed to be highly scalable and configurable while requiring minimal system resources - a key factor in embedded software applications. It is targeted at developers writing applications for consumers who may not be computer-savvy. PersonalJava supports robust user interfaces and the downloading and execution of applets. These applications, like the JavaCard, are upward-compatible and will run on "enterprise" Java platforms. Inferno Infernoª is an operating system for creating distributed services and is intended for use in a variety of network environments, including hand-held devices, set top boxes and inexpensive networked ... (more)

Understanding EJB Transactions

EJB servers are transactional servers that allow developers to concentrate on business logic. The EJB model implements two-phase commits, transaction context propagation and distributed transaction, although it's up to the vendors to decide which technique to use. A transaction is formally defined as an "ACID" (atomic, consistent, isolated, durable) unit of work. Atomic transactions are "all or nothing." They either work or they don't – they're never left incomplete. Consistent transactions always leave the system in a consistent state. Isolated transactions execute in a safe manner – they won't fail if other transactions running on the same server are failing. Durable transactionscan survive system failures once they're completed and committed. For example, an online sale may involve the following steps: Begin transaction. Charge card sale amount. Update sale databa... (more)

Building Applications with Berkeley DB Java Edition

Berkeley DB is a database with a long history. First released in 1991 as a replacement for various dbm implementations, it was soon included in BSD Unix releases. Requests for new features and commercial support led to the formation of Sleepycat Software in 1996. Using a dual license model, Berkeley DB became very popular for both open source and commercial applications. Recently, Sleepycat announced Berkeley DB Java Edition (JE), a 100% Java implementation that runs on any J2SE 1.4.2 or later JVM. This article introduces JE's features and classes and uses a sample electronic voting application to illustrate its use. Berkeley DB and JE The original Berkeley DB is used in a wide variety of open source and commercial applications in telecom, Internet infrastructure, storage, security, financial services, and other industries. Sleepycat estimates that there are over 20... (more)

The i-Technology Right Stuff

Related Links: Wanted: 19 More of the Top Software People in the World Sung and Unsung i-Technology Heroes Who's Missing from SYS-CON's i-Technology Top Twenty?" Our search for the Twenty Top Software People in the World is nearing completion. In the SYS-CON tradition of empowering readers, we are leaving the final "cut" to you, so here are the top 40 nominations in alphabetical order. Our aim this time round is to whittle this 40 down to our final twenty, not (yet) to arrange those twenty in any order of preference. All you need to do to vote is to go to the Further Details page of any nominee you'd like to see end up in the top half of the poll when we close voting on Christmas Eve, December 24, and cast your vote or votes. To access the Further Details of each nominee just click on their name. Happy voting!   In alphabetical order the nominees are:   Tim Berner... (more)

i-Technology Viewpoint: "Spring Good!"

"JSF Good!" Says Rick Hightower If you have not looked into Spring yet, it is time. Here is why you should! Grady Booch once said that the great thing about objects is that they can be replaced. The great thing about Spring is it helps you replace them. With Spring, you simply inject collaborating objects called dependencies using JavaBeans properties and configuration files. Then it's easy enough to switch out collaborating objects when you need to. Spring allows you to dynamically add services to objects called aspects. This is similar to the Decorator Design pattern, but does not require you to recompile your code base to apply these services. This allows you to replace objects with objects that enhance the originals. The ability to inject collaborating objects is often called IoC (inversion of control). Thus, Spring is an IoC container. If you follow the latest ... (more)

Aplix and TTPCom to Deliver Pre-Integrated Java Solutions for Mobile Devices

Tokyo-based Aplix Corporation, a global leader in deploying Java technology on mobile devices, and TTPCom Limited (TTPCom) have announced a long-term collaboration to offer a pre-integrated version of JBlend on TTPCom's AJAR platform. Both companies have also streamlined access to the integrated solution by licensing the rights necessary to enable single-source delivery of the bundled offering to Aplix's and TTPCom's common customers. By pre-integrating JBlend on the AJAR platform, the number of steps required to utilize the integrated solution is dramatically reduced for handset manufacturers. This simplified solution benefits the handset manufacturers when meeting the ever evolving Java requirements from wireless carriers. The solution, therefore, dramatically reduces the time-to-market for companies utilizing the AJAR platform. "OEMs are increasingly requesting mor... (more)