Moderator (MDR): MDR-lisa

Guest Speaker (SPK): SPK-name

Hello and welcome to Java Live. I'm Lisa Stapleton, and I'll be your moderator for today's chat. I'm here with Jerome Dochez and Mark Bennett (login: Scipio). Jerome, a JavaSoft^TM software engineer, worked on the ActiveX Bridge, and Mark, from Taligent, who worked on Migration Assistant. These two technologies "bridge the gap" between the MS/ActiveX world and Java.

We'll be talking about how you can use this technology. Migration Assistant was just released this July, and it helps you take ActiveX components and turn them into Beans.

uomini: The fact that Sun^TM feels the need to provide such a bridge is ominous. Care to explain? What does ActiveX do that Java does not?

MDR-lisa: That's a fair question, uomini. I think that you have to look at the fact that ActiveX is basically Visual Basic for the Internet, so there is a lot of legacy code out there that would benefit from being "Javatized," because then you'd get the portability and maintainability of Java.

SPK-dochez: The JavaBeans^TM were intended to be a portable Component architecture for Java, but also provide a tight integration with native platforms. For the people that made investments on the Windows platforms with ActiveX containers, we provided a way to use newly developed JavaBeans inside these containers like Visual Basic or Internet Explorer.

uomini: Then does Migration Assistant actually generate pure Java code?

SPK-Scipio: Migration Assistant does generate pure Java code. The idea is to generate code that not only can be used in a pure Java environment, but can also be transformed correctly by the ActiveX bridge to look like the original ActiveX control to the legacy container.

uomini: Microsoft likes to claim that Visual Basic/J++ based programs are much easier to create than pure Java applications. Is there any IDE out there that can compete with VJ++ in terms of RAD and ease of use? I've used VJ++ and like it much better than, say, Symantec's product.

MDR-lisa: On the JavaBeans page, accessible under java.sun.com/beans, we have a list of about 20 IDEs--JavaSoft's Java Workshop, Borland's JBuilder (which is very visually oriented), and IBM's Visual Edge are some that you might want to check out. Of course, everyone has his/her own preferences, so it's hard to make a choice that works for everyone.

Mark and Jerome, maybe you'd like to talk about what you just released. I understand that you have a minor release coming up? What will it be, and how can people get their hands on it.

SPK-dochez: The beta-5 of the ActiveX bridge was released about two weeks ago. This is the last beta, next will be the FCS. The JavaBeans team will be moving along with some new exiting features added (see the Glasgow specs on the Beans site) and the bridge will also get new features in the next version. The bridge is available for download right now.

jimheintz: How would I go about taking a JavaBean and instantiating it in PowerPoint or Excel? What do I have to install, where do I get it, and how much does it cost?

SPK-Scipio: Migration Assistant 1.0 is available now on www.taligent.com. Follow the links to products, then to WebRunner, then to Bean Tools. Soon we will be adding a tutorial paper with an example that demonstrates migrating an ActiveX control originally made in Visual Basic to a JavaBean. It covers UI, serialization, etc.

SPK-dochez: You need to download the bridge from the java.sun.com/beans site (free of charge) and install it on your machine. Then the next good idea is to read the documentation. The bottom line is that no code needs to be added to the JavaBean to run it inside PowerPoint, the Bean is still a 100% pure application that can run on Solaris.

mjt: How much will the Bridge cost once it goes into FCS?

MDR-lisa: It's free, but we'll take money if you want to send it to us. Actually, Migration Assistant is also planned as a (potentially permanently) free product.

mjt: So, Migration Assistant converts Visual Basic code to Java?

SPK-Scipio: The Migration Assistant is a language-independent tool since it only uses the typelib of the ActiveX control as input. The example I was mentioning shows how to fill in the skeleton that is generated by the Migration Assistant yourself. There is a VisualBasic to Java conversion product available from TVObjects. In its current form, this converter only works from the Visual Basic source.

jimheintz: If I develop a product designed to use the Bridge, how do I go about redistributing it?

SPK-dochez: The Bridge comes with a runtime installation. When you are happy with your JavaBean, you can deliver it along with the Bridge runtime installation provided. This is also free of charge. You just need to provide an installation for your JavaBean component.

JoeSam: Does the Bridge product (and if not do you have any suggestions to) address running an ActiveX control with or from Java? I realize how nonportable this is, but some people just want the functionality without the religious wars.

SPK-dochez: We are listening to the market. If our customers require the reversed Bridge, we will investigate the feasibility. The pressure is currently not very strong to do it, but we are listening to the market.

JoeSam: Just to clarify, I meant to run an existing ActiveX control, not to make a JavaBean an ActiveX control. Were you responding to that?

glen_s: To add to JoeSam's question, and to give you some market feedback, I'd love to use an ActiveX control without using JNI.

SPK-dochez: Yes, that's what I understood. Today, you can use a JavaBean inside an ActiveX container. Using ActiveX inside Java is not available today, and that's what we would be investigating technically if the customers require it.

MDR-lisa: I want to thank all of the participants, as well as our guests, for a great discussion. Have a great week, and remember to check out the discussion forums schedule for upcoming online events. Goodbye, everyone!