Technical Information Technical Articles

Microsoft Developer Tools Interoperability Kit - Interested in adding cross-language and platform interoperability support to your virtual machine or Java compiler? Here are specifications and tests for the Microsoft^® J/Direct^™ application programming interface (API), Java/COM, and Delegates technologies. These techologies give developers the option of creating more functional, higher-performing Java applications as well as gaining tighter integration with software written in other languages.

Using COM Objects from Java - This latest white paper offers an extensive tutorial for the developer who has experience with Java and background knowledge of the Microsoft^® Component Object Model. Covering a wide range of topics, from implementing a Java-Callable Wrapper to Distributed COM, it has the background you'll need to take advantage of the power of COM and the flexibility of Java.

MTS vs. JavaBeans - This technology white paper from the Microsoft COM Web site analyzes the differences between Microsoft^® Transaction Server (MTS), the transaction service built into Windows NT^®, and the Enterprise JavaBeans transaction service. To find out why MTS is the right choice for building enterprise applications, read "Comparing Microsoft Transaction Server to Enterprise JavaBeans."

Integrating Java and COM - Because the Microsoft virtual machine (Microsoft VM) provides automatic mapping that allows any Java object to be a COM object and any COM object to be accessible as Java object, Java is an ideal language for taking advantage of the Microsoft Component Object Model. Learn how Java/COM integration allows developers to exploit the benefits of Java and the power of the Windows operating system in this white paper.

Debugging and profiling Java applications - Performance is an important issue for applications written in Java. To help developers identify potential performance problems, the Microsoft virtual machine includes a powerful set of tools for profiling and debugging Java applications. This white paper offers a comprehensive background on these sophisticated tools.

Sniffing the Microsoft Virtual Machine - Looking for a way to determine a browser's Java virtual machine? Microsoft technology engineer Michael Edwards has your answer. Writing in MSDN Online, he details the three methods he developed to sniff the Java virtual machine used by a browser hitting a Java-enabled Web page.

Java SDK? Don't MIND if I do! - Writing in Microsoft Internet Developer (MIND for short), Microsoft^® Java support engineer Bob LaCasse explains the benefits of the Microsoft SDK for Java. An indispensable source of information, this redistributable package offers the latest builds and tools, making it easy to upgrade Visual J++^® and the Microsoft VM. Read the beginning of this article Mind online; get the December 1998 issue for the rest.

Cool, COM, and collected - Use Microsoft Visual J++^® to create COM objects and you can create great programs for the Windows platform at breakneck speeds. You can also make your Java code more valuable because COM objects can be used from languages other than Java. To learn more about how to create Visual J++ 6.0 COM objects and ActiveX ^® controls, take a look at this very comprehensive article titled "From Typelib to Visual J++ 6.0 COM Object" from MSDN™.

Introduction to Graphics Programming using WFC - The display of graphical objects in Microsoft Windows^® utilizes a device-independent output model called the Graphics Device Interface, or GDI. In Windows Foundations Classes (WFC), these capabilities are encapsulated as Java-based objects, and graphical output occurs through the Java Graphics object. The Microsoft Visual J++ Web site has an excellent article that provides an illustrated overview of this object's capabilities, covering everything from "Pens" and "Brushes" to raster operations and drawing bitmaps. See the article "Graphical Services" for detailed information.

MTS step-by-step - Writing in MSDN Online, Visual J++ product team member Larry Hanson explains how to use Visual J++ 6.0 to develop Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) application components in Java. The article walks through the process of writing and building a server-side Java MTS component that can be called by a Java client application and it shows how to debug the server-side component. Hanson also explains how to deploy the server component and client application to separate machines.

With J/Direct in MIND - In his "Java911" column, Microsoft Internet Developer (MIND) writer Jonathan Locke explores the inner workings of J/Direct^® by demonstrating a number of specific examples. Find out how to call a function that returns a DWORD value through a pointer, how to provide a character buffer for a DLL function that returns a string by reference, and more.

An architects-eye view - Just before we went public with the release of Windows Foundation Classes (WFC), Anders Hejlsberg, the architect in charge of WFC, sat down with developer.com and provided a sneak preview. "WFC basically allows you to leverage Java the language and Windows the platform," he told developer.com writer Kieron Murphy. He also provided a great overview of WFC the architecture, and WFC the features, with diagrams and source code. Visit developer.com for the complete story.

Transaction interaction - The advent of the Internet has completely changed the rules for the development of transactional databases. In the past, writing a client-server application meant targeting the defined universe of users on a given network. Now, applications have to scale so that they can serve either the handful of users in a workgroup or the multitudes coming in over the Web. A recent article in Microsoft Internet Developer (MIND) explored the use of Java, active server pages, and Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS) in creating robust, scalable applications that offer true transactional integrity.

A foundation for the future - As a developer, how can you create compelling applications with the Java programming language that scream on Windows? Answer: Microsoft's new Windows Foundation Classes (WFC). With WFC developers can take full advantage of the power of the Windows platform and the productivity of the Java programming language. It includes a strong component model that is built upon a small set of easy to understand rules about how components are created, how they interact, and how they can be used and reused. This article provides a great introduction to the theory and practice of WFC.

The why's and wherefore's of WFC - Microsoft's new Windows Foundation Classes (WFC) provides developers with a set of class libraries for building full-featured, native Windows applications in Java. In this extensive interview on the Microsoft Developer Network, WFC chief architect Anders Hejlsberg explains why his group created WFC, how it works, and why it is a leap forward for Java developers who want to take full advantage of the power of Windows.

Hello, Win32 API? J/Direct calling - Sure, the big Java purity debate is interesting, but when it comes to writing real-world Windows code, you're probably looking for the best way to take advantage of the productivity benefits of Java and the rich functionality of the Win32^® API. Now, with J/Direct, you can call directly on the entire Win32 API in a way that automatically converts native pointers, structures, and types to their Java equivalents. An article in the online edition of Microsoft Internet Developer tells how.

Native expression - "You've heard it before," says Microsoft Developer Network programming expert Dr. GUI, "Java language, good. Java API, lacking." The answer? J/Direct. Not only does he think it's a good tool for object-oriented programming but he is especially impressed by the ability of J/Direct to access native code directly. For more details, see his four-part series called "Going Native with J/Direct."

The direct method - As part of his series on Java, development engineer expert Michael Edwards pokes around inside J/Direct, a new feature of the Microsoft VM, and finds that it will make life easier for programmers.

Call me a CAB - Java applets are great, but sometime they just take too long to download, especially at lower modem speeds. What if there was a way to either send the classes over in a smaller package, or to give the user the classes they'll use often, so they don't have to download them again and again? Actually, there is such an animal-something we call cabinets, or CABs. For more on CABs, which can help you cut download times for Java applets by more than half, read the introduction in MSDN Online.

Portability - "What's really the deal with this Java portability stuff?" asks Michael Edwards. In the first installment in his series on Java, he looks for answers to such questions as "Why is Java called a portable language" and "What does portability mean, and why should you care?"

Introduction to Java for the C++ Developer - Nancy Winnick Cluts, author of "Programming the Windows 95 User Interface," covers the basics of Java for the Windows C and C++ developer.