The Four Hundred--Eclipse Visual Editor Project Unites Java GUI Methods

The Eclipse consortium and open-source development tool project, which was funded with a $40 million grant from IBM two years ago, to create a single, Java-based toolkit framework that would allow other development tools to snap into that framework, has just launched a Visual Editor project that is being spearheaded by David Orme of Advanced Systems Concepts.

The current implementation of the Eclipse tools is based on a visual editor called the Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT), which is a means of generation graphics and GUIs for applications that was picked because it was small, simple, and worked regardless of operating system type. According to the members of the Eclipse project, it was hard to produce professional-looking, shrink-wrapped applications using the Swing or Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) components of the Java Foundation Classes within Java. So they adopted SWT. The problem is that a lot of Java developers either use or like Swing or AWT. Some may say they are gluttons for punishment, but you can't argue taste, religion, politics, or application development. In fact, application development is a superset that includes the other three, which makes it very dangerous indeed.

SWT is based on the idea that a common (if somewhat cruder) set of graphical elements that work on all platforms and yield nearly identical GUIs is better than the Swing approach, which links into the graphical capabilities of specific operating systems to make the best screens each operating system can deliver, that look as much alike as possible (but not identical).

IBM has donated a portion of its VisualAge for Java tool to be the beginning code base for the Visual Editor project. Visual Editor for Java, which is now subsumed into IBM's WebSphere Studio development tool, can crank out GUIs based on Swing. Sun Microsystems and a number of other key Java proponents wanted to have Swing support. And now IBM has given them the groundwork to get it.

The reason why any of this matters is that Eclipse is the best chance the IT industry has of creating a single toolkit framework that generates Java applications in a way that millions of programmers can gain experience in and make use of for a long time in their careers. The other alternative in the market is going to be .NET and Visual Studio.NET, which are already unified because they come from only one vendor: Microsoft. If the companies pushing Java (IBM and Sun, first and foremost) want to see Java succeed, there has to be a consistent, easy-to-use toolkit for Java developers, and Eclipse is it.

Now that IBM has buried the hatchet by giving away Swing support to Eclipse, Sun has to do the right thing and join the Eclipse project and stop messing around.

IBM, Advanced Systems Concepts (which has a tool called RPG Into Objects, which converts RPG to Java or C++), commercial Linux distributor Red Hat, and Instantiations, a provider of Java tools, are making contributions to the Visual Editor project, which will initially be able to generate Swing GUIs. They will be adding SWT support to the project as fast as they can.

Sponsored By

FAST400

What makes IBM different from Microsoft regarding Fast400??

What is Fast400?

You are hearing a lot about Fast400 aren't you? But what is Fast400? Fast400 is a "tuning" product for the iSeries. Fast400 will allow an iSeries server to utilize the available CPW for interactive processing. IBM would have you believe that these interactive cards that cost thousands to millions of dollars, actually add value to your server. By buying Fast400, you do not ever need to buy another interactive card for your iSeries. For a free demonstration of Fast400, please visit www.fast400.net.

Why Fast400?

A few years ago Microsoft would not let other software companies build tools to work with the Windows operating system. Microsoft did all kinds of scurrilous things to stop other manufacturers' software from working on their platform. They would put code in the base operating system that prevented other companies code from working properly. IBM even had these issues with Operations Navigator. In the early days of Operations Navigator, the developers in Rochester had to scrap early versions because Microsoft did not want IBM leverage on what was proprietary to them. Netscape also had a few problems using the Windows operating system.

The result

Now we all know what happened to Microsoft. After spending tens of millions of our tax dollars in the trial, the US government told Microsoft that they were acting as a monopoly and what they did was not right or fair.

The similarity

IBM is doing exactly the same thing to Fast400 as Microsoft did. IBM has changed the operating system of the iSeries 400 to prevent Fast400 from working. In fact this has been done several times now, and each time the Fast400 developers produce a new fix to circumvent the IBM action. Why does IBM do this? because Fast400 takes money out of IBM's pocket. The potential for IBM to make billions from its user base, for delivering virtually no product is tantamount to corporate deception! Did IBM change the operating system when EMC introduced a low cost storage solution for the iSeries?

The future

The cat and mouse game between IBM and Fast400 is already a year old. Every time IBM changes the operating system to disable Fast400, the developers of Fast400 produce a new version within days to enable it again. Does Fast400 have a commercial agenda? Of course it does. Fast400 is in business to provide its clients with added benefits, which will maximise the interactive performance of iSeries 400 servers. And as we are a business, why shouldn't we charge a nominal fee for that service? A fee that our clients see as being fair and proper. After all, it's not Fast400 that is making enemies in the user base. As long as IBM wants to play "David and Goliath" we will continue to "out" the giant. Fast400 is not running, you can be assured!!

For more information, please visit www.fast400.net.