Evaluation Guide

Java development tools optimized for building Win32® applications must focus on six key development areas which provide a comprehensive picture of developer needs and success factors. By extending and enhancing functionality in these areas, a tool will enable developers to build commercial-quality Java applications.

High-functionality Java applications
Easy component development and reuse
Enhanced developer productivity
Integrated data access
Simplified application deployment
Enterprise application development

High Functionality Java Applications

In order for developers to take advantage of all the functionality and performance of the Windows® platform, including access to printer services, interprocess communication, accessibility, direct access to peripheral devices, TrueType fonts®, graphics, and Windows NT® Server-based application services, they must be able to easily access the underlying operating system. By providing developers with access to system-level Windows routines, the tool makes it possible to build commercial-quality software written in the Java language.

Creation of high functionality Windows-based applications. Make it possible for developers to use the features of the underlying operating system to build commercial-quality applications.
Ability to reuse any Windows library. Enable developers to take advantage of thousands of prebuilt Win32 libraries to reduce the amount of work required to complete their projects.
Ability to use any custom library. Make it easy for developers to write and reuse their own custom libraries of code to build solutions optimized for the Windows platform.

Easy Component Development and Reuse

Because software developers have an existing investment in their past and present projects, any development tool should provide excellent facilities for helping them to reuse their code. The tool should allow developers to visually design their applications using any of thousands of existing components or to author their own reusable components.

Simplify component creation. Make it easy to create reusable components from Java code so developers can easily redistribute their application logic.
Support the use of cross-language components. Provide for the reuse of components created in any language, giving developers flexibility in finding the functionality that meets their business needs.
Simplify component hosting. Easily host components from third parties and manipulate the controls from the Java code itself, giving developers greater flexibility and more options in how they complete their projects.
Easily Manage Components.

Enhanced Developer Productivity

One of the key requirements of Java developers is a rapid application development (RAD) environment that makes it fast and easy to develop applications. Developers need a responsive and robust visual form designer to help them rapidly construct their user interfaces. Since user interface design makes up only a small portion of the software development process, tools that make the coding phase of software development simpler are also a necessity. The development environment itself must be intuitive, so developers can easily complete their projects on time. Finally, the debugging facilities must be comprehensive, providing developers with a complete set of tools with which to correct the errors in their projects.

Visual design. Accelerate the development process by making it possible for developers to drag and drop objects onto a visual form to create applications and Web pages.
Creation of Web-hosted applications. Enable developers to take advantage of the simplified Web distribution mechanism by building applications that are hosted within a Web page.
Intuitive development environment. Provide an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) thatÆs intuitive and easy to use so developers can get up and running fast.
Simplify or reduce coding. Make writing code easy by providing utilities and wizards that generate error-free code.
Professional integrated debugger. Help developers shorten the time it takes to ship a completed application by diagnosing errors in their code quickly and easily.

Integrated Data Access

In todayÆs data-centric environment access to data must be comprehensive, easy, flexible, and powerful. The data components in any development tool should enable developers to visually connect to remote data sources, easily construct SQL statements using a visual designer, and quickly design remote databases using a visual modeler.

Visual data components. Make it possible for developers to visually design data-aware applications with minimal coding.
Simplify creation of reusable data objects. Enable creation of objects that encapsulate often-used data retrieval and manipulation commands.
Enable the creation of reusable data sources. Make it possible to create reusable data sources that provide easy access to legacy or custom data. Enable existing components that are "data-aware" to automatically bind to these data sources.
Simplify the creation of applications for the mobile user. Provide a data-access model that continues to work well when the application isnÆt connected to the server or the Internet, making continuous access to remote data possible.
Easily create queries. Provide an integrated GUI interface for building and testing queries so that database access can be accomplished faster and more reliably.
Easily create database schemas. Enable and automate database creation. Permit any developer with the proper privileges to see and manipulate database schema diagrams visually.

Simplified Application Deployment

Reducing cost and simplifying application deployment and maintenance is of great concern for developers. A professional development tool should make this last phase of software development quick and painless.

Integrated packaging. Support the packaging of applications for easy distribution as CAB, Windows EXE, COM object, or other file types.
Integrated deployment. Provide the ability to copy the final project to a target server at the touch of a button to thereby minimize the tedium and risk in deploying an application remotely.
Deployment explorer. Provide a way for developers to see at a glance all the targets to which theyÆre able to deploy their applications.

Enterprise Application Development

As the use of information technology changes to meet new business needs, the very definition of "enterprise applications" is also evolving. While enterprise infrastructures and applications vary widely across organizations, common attributes of "enterprise" applications include:

Being component based for flexibility and scalability.
Requiring life cycle support, including design, development, management, and analysis.
Requiring more sophisticated database architectures.
Being developed by teams.
Being distributed in nature, integrated with disparate back-end systems.

Visual J++ 6.0 provides critical new features for building applications that meet these requirements.

Simplify server-side development. Help developers create server-side logic thatÆs fast and robust.
Enable client/server debugging. Make it possible for developers to debug applications across multiple computers and across multiple processes and to step from client code into server code.
Transaction components. Help developers build transactional components that guarantee data integrity.
Distributed object development. Enable developers to build components that are accessible and reusable from remote sources, splitting up processing across computers and increasing application efficiency.
Team development. Make it easy for code to be edited and shared across a team of developers.

Visual J++ developers purchasing Visual Studio, Enterprise Edition receive additional enterprise development features to address these needs including: a complete suite for component-based development, enterprise database features, enhanced lifecycle productivity inclusive of application design, performance analysis and deployment tools, team development support, and development versions of the Microsoft BackOffice® family of applications servers.