The catch Blocks

You associate exception handlers with a try block by providing one or more catch blocks directly after the try block. No code can be between the end of the try block and the beginning of the first catch block.

try {
   
} catch (ExceptionType name) {
   
} catch (ExceptionType name) {
   
} 

Each catch block is an exception handler and handles the type of exception indicated by its argument. The argument type, ExceptionType, declares the type of exception that the handler can handle and must be the name of a class that inherits from the Throwable class. The handler can refer to the exception with name.

The catch block contains code that is executed if and when the exception handler is invoked. The runtime system invokes the exception handler when the handler is the first one in the call stack whose ExceptionType matches the type of the exception thrown. The system considers it a match if the thrown object can legally be assigned to the exception handler's argument.

The following are two exception handlers for the writeList method — one for two types of checked exceptions that can be thrown within the try statement.

try {
   
} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
   System.err.println("FileNotFoundException: "
                       + e.getMessage());
   throw new SampleException(e);
  
} catch (IOException e) {
   System.err.println("Caught IOException: "
                       + e.getMessage());
}

Both handlers print an error message. The second handler does nothing else. By catching any IOException that's not caught by the first handler, it allows the program to continue executing.

The first handler, in addition to printing a message, throws a user-defined exception. (Throwing exceptions is covered in detail later in this chapter in the How to Throw Exceptions section.) In this example, when the FileNotFoundException is caught it causes a user-defined exception called SampleException to be thrown. You might want to do this if you want your program to handle an exception in this situation in a specific way.

Exception handlers can do more than just print error messages or halt the program. They can do error recovery, prompt the user to make a decision, or propagate the error up to a higher-level handler using chained exceptions, as described in the Chained Exceptions section.

The try Block

The first step in constructing an exception handler is to enclose the code that might throw an exception within a try block. In general, a try block looks like the following.

try {
   code
}
catch and finally blocks . . .

The segment in the example labeled code contains one or more legal lines of code that could throw an exception. (The catch and finally blocks are explained in the next two subsections.)

To construct an exception handler for the writeList method from the ListOfNumbers class, enclose the exception-throwing statements of the writeList method within a try block. There is more than one way to do this. You can put each line of code that might throw an exception within its own try block and provide separate exception handlers for each. Or, you can put all the writeList code within a single try block and associate multiple handlers with it. The following listing uses one try block for the entire method because the code in question is very short.

private Vector vector;
private static final int SIZE = 10;

PrintWriter out = null;

try {
   System.out.println("Entered try statement");
   out = new PrintWriter(new FileWriter("OutFile.txt"));
   for (int i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) {
       out.println("Value at: " + i + " = "
                    + vector.elementAt(i));
   }
}
catch and finally statements . . .

If an exception occurs within the try block, that exception is handled by an exception handler associated with it. To associate an exception handler with a try block, you must put a catch block after it; the next section shows you how.

Catching and Handling Exceptions

This section describes how to use the three exception handler components — the try, catch, and finally blocks — to write an exception handler. The last part of this section walks through an example and analyzes what occurs during various scenarios.

The following example defines and implements a class named ListOfNumbers. When constructed, ListOfNumbers creates a Vector that contains 10 Integer elements with sequential values 0 through 9. The ListOfNumbers class also defines a method named writeList, which writes the list of numbers into a text file called OutFile.txt. This example uses output classes defined in java.io, which are covered in Basic I/O.

//Note: This class won't compile by design!
import java.io.*;
import java.util.Vector;

public class ListOfNumbers {

   private Vector vector;
   private static final int SIZE = 10;

   public ListOfNumbers () {
       vector = new Vector(SIZE);
       for (int i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) {
           vector.addElement(new Integer(i));
       }
   }

   public void writeList() {
       PrintWriter out = new PrintWriter(
                           new FileWriter("OutFile.txt"));

       for (int i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) {
           out.println("Value at: " + i + " = " +
                        vector.elementAt(i));
       }

       out.close();
   }
}

The first line in boldface is a call to a constructor. The constructor initializes an output stream on a file. If the file cannot be opened, the constructor throws an IOException. The second boldface line is a call to the Vector class's elementAt method, which throws an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException if the value of its argument is too small (less than 0) or too large (more than the number of elements currently contained by the Vector).

If you try to compile the ListOfNumbers class, the compiler prints an error message about the exception thrown by the FileWriter constructor. However, it does not display an error message about the exception thrown by elementAt. The reason is that the exception thrown by the constructor, IOException, is a checked exception, and the one thrown by the elementAt method, ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException, is an unchecked exception.

Now that you're familiar with the ListOfNumbers class and where the exceptions can be thrown within it, you're ready to write exception handlers to catch and handle those exceptions.

The Catch or Specify Requirement

Valid Java programming language code must honor the Catch or Specify Requirement. This means that code that might throw certain exceptions must be enclosed by either of the following:

• A try statement that catches the exception. The try must provide a handler for the exception, as described in Catching and Handling Exceptions.
• A method that specifies that it can throw the exception. The method must provide a throws clause that lists the exception, as described in Specifying the Exceptions Thrown by a Method.

Code that fails to honor the Catch or Specify Requirement will not compile.

Not all exceptions are subject to the Catch or Specify Requirement. To understand why, we need to look at the three basic categories of exceptions, only one of which is subject to the Requirement.

The Three Kinds of Exceptions

The first kind of exception is the checked exception. These are exceptional conditions that a well-written application should anticipate and recover from. For example, suppose an application prompts a user for an input file name, then opens the file by passing the name to the constructor for java.io.FileReader. Normally, the user provides the name of an existing, readable file, so the construction of the FileReader object succeeds, and the execution of the application proceeds normally. But sometimes the user supplies the name of a nonexistent file, and the constructor throws java.io.FileNotFoundException. A well-written program will catch this exception and notify the user of the mistake, possibly prompting for a corrected file name.

Checked exceptions are subject to the Catch or Specify Requirement. All exceptions are checked exceptions, except for those indicated by Error, RuntimeException, and their subclasses.

The second kind of exception is the error. These are exceptional conditions that are external to the application, and that the application usually cannot anticipate or recover from. For example, suppose that an application successfully opens a file for input, but is unable to read the file because of a hardware or system malfunction. The unsuccessful read will throw java.io.IOError. An application might choose to catch this exception, in order to notify the user of the problem — but it also might make sense for the program to print a stack trace and exit.

Errors are not subject to the Catch or Specify Requirement. Errors are those exceptions indicated by Error and its subclasses.

The third kind of exception is the runtime exception. These are exceptional conditions that are internal to the application, and that the application usually cannot anticipate or recover from. These usually indicate programming bugs, such as logic errors or improper use of an API. For example, consider the application described previously that passes a file name to the constructor for FileReader. If a logic error causes a null to be passed to the constructor, the constructor will throw NullPointerException. The application can catch this exception, but it probably makes more sense to eliminate the bug that caused the exception to occur.

Runtime exceptions are not subject to the Catch or Specify Requirement. Runtime exceptions are those indicated by RuntimeException and its subclasses.

Errors and runtime exceptions are collectively known as unchecked exceptions.

Bypassing Catch or Specify

Some programmers consider the Catch or Specify Requirement a serious flaw in the exception mechanism and bypass it by using unchecked exceptions in place of checked exceptions. In general, this is not recommended. The section Unchecked Exceptions — The Controversy talks about when it is appropriate to use unchecked exceptions.

What Is an Exception?

The term exception is shorthand for the phrase "exceptional event."

---

Definition: An exception is an event, which occurs during the execution of a program, that disrupts the normal flow of the program's instructions.

---

When an error occurs within a method, the method creates an object and hands it off to the runtime system. The object, called an exception object, contains information about the error, including its type and the state of the program when the error occurred. Creating an exception object and handing it to the runtime system is called throwing an exception.

After a method throws an exception, the runtime system attempts to find something to handle it. The set of possible "somethings" to handle the exception is the ordered list of methods that had been called to get to the method where the error occurred. The list of methods is known as the call stack (see the next figure).

The call stack.

The runtime system searches the call stack for a method that contains a block of code that can handle the exception. This block of code is called an exception handler. The search begins with the method in which the error occurred and proceeds through the call stack in the reverse order in which the methods were called. When an appropriate handler is found, the runtime system passes the exception to the handler. An exception handler is considered appropriate if the type of the exception object thrown matches the type that can be handled by the handler.

The exception handler chosen is said to catch the exception. If the runtime system exhaustively searches all the methods on the call stack without finding an appropriate exception handler, as shown in the next figure, the runtime system (and, consequently, the program) terminates.

Searching the call stack for the exception handler.

Using exceptions to manage errors has some advantages over traditional error-management techniques. You can learn more in the Advantages of Exceptions section.

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CodeThat Studio also is featured to edit the received code to add extra features manually by advanced users

EJS TreeGrid 4.5

EJS TreeGrid is DHTML component written in pure JavaScript to display and edit data in table, grid, tree view or grid with tree on HTML page.

Compatible with Internet Explorer 5.0+, Mozilla 1.0+, Mozilla Firefox 1.0+, Netscape Navigator 6.0+, Opera 7.60+, KHTML (Konqueror 3.0+, Safari 1.2+).

Main advantages to similar components are tree capability, advanced cell formulas and calculations like in MS Excel, various paging types to display nearly unlimited count (millions) of rows using AJAX and pager component, extended filters like in MS Excel, automatic grouping rows to tree according column values (like PivotTable in MS Excel), fixed columns and rows on all sides, dragging rows even among the grids, moving columns, user defined CSS styles to change grid look, extended JavaScript API with events and methods to control the grid from JavaScript, using grid without any need of JavaScript code on page, sophisticated XML input / output format, advanced key and mouse navigation, compatibility with many browsers, various editing masks, multi line editing. Printing capabilities and export to Microsoft Excel or any other spreadsheet program that can handle XLS files or HTML tables. Synchronisation data with server. Master / detail relationship. TreeGrid is also very fast to display and control.

EJS TreeGrid of course supports all basic grid features like editing cell content, updating changes to server by AJAX or by page submit, sorting rows, adding and deleting rows, row state colors, column resizing, column hiding / displaying, control panel, various cell types like text, number, check box, textarea, combo box, image, url or any other HTML, calendar component to pick up dates and so on.

EJS TreeGrid distribution contains many examples and predefined code for server side scripts ASP (VBScript), ASP.NET (C#, Visual Basic), JSP (Java) and PHP.
EJS TreeGrid can be used also in any other server script environment that can handle and process XML data.

EJS TreeGrid 4.5 is a component written in pure JavaScript that helps in displaying and editing the data, which is either given in tabular, or tree or grid format, or HTML page. The software is compatible with almost all the web browsers, such as, Internet Explorer 5.0, Opera 7.60, Mozilla 1.0, Netscape Navigator etc. It is used to load XML data from the server and upload its modification back to server again. For better control of TreeGrid look and performance you can use JavaScript function, such as, event handlers. The program features are not complex, and hence can be easily operated without any complications.

EJS TreeGrid 4.5 contains the advanced calculations, formulas and extended filters like MS Excel. By using AJAX and pager component it can display unlimited number of rows, and according to the column values it can group the rows to trees like Pivot Table in MS EXCEL. There are fix number of rows and columns on all the sides. It has many features such as user defined CSS Styles to modify the look of grid, advanced key and mouse navigation, contains many editing masks, printing capabilities and export the Excel or any spreadsheet. It contains predefined server side scripts like ASP.NET (C#, Visual Basic), ASP (VBScript), PHP and JSP (Java). It supports various grid features such as editing the cell content, page submit, modify rows and columns, etc. It is capable communicating with the Server in two ways i.e. using Submit and AJAX.

EJS TreeGrid 4.5 has a user friendly feature-set for creating treeview of data, and it also supports customization of built-in images, style or behavior settings. Considering the features and functioning capability of the software, it has been rated with 3.5 points.

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IBM/Sun deal could benefit Java, says Google's open source chief

Google's chief of open source believes an IBM acquisition of Sun could benefit the Java community, which has occasionally protested Sun’s leadership role over the technology.

Chris Dibona, Google's open source program manager, speculated that IBM ownership of Sun could have prevented the current battle between Sun and Apache Software Foundation, which accuses Sun of refusing to grant it an acceptable license for its open source Java SE implementation called Harmony.


“I think [an IBM acquisition of Sun] would actually have a positive impact on Java,” Dibona said during a roundtable discussion about open source issues with media members in Boston Thursday. “Sun has been kind of weird about licensing the TCK [Technology Compatibility Kit] for non-Sun Java. I think IBM would not be as restrictive about the use of the TCK. … IBM has been a huge user of Java and a huge supporter of the Java projects.”

The TCK Dibona referred to is a set of tests, tools and documentation that determines whether a project complies with a Java technology specification.



Java is an important technology for Google, which holds a seat on the executive committee of the Java Community Process, which helps dictate the future of Java by developing new technology specifications and reference implementation.

The Java programming language was invented by Sun, which released its Java software platform in 1995. Over the years, Sun has made several moves to involve the broader community of developers and rival vendors who have a vested interest in the technology.


In 1998, Sun created the Java Community Process and in 2006 and 2007 Sun released the programming language itself as open source software. But some members of the Java community want Sun to give up its control over the Java technology and the Java Community Process completely, leaving the company with no special rights over the licensing and development of the software.

IBM is reportedly in talks to purchase Sun Microsystems, but no deal has been officially announced.

While Dibona said he believes there would be fewer conflicts if IBM were the owner of Java, he did not offer an opinion as to whether IBM would relinquish control over Java and the JCP. Any time companies merge, major changes can take years, he noted.

Webalo Extends Enterprise Data to Mobile Property Managers at DDR

Developers Diversified Realty (NYSE:DDR) has adopted the Webalo Mobile Dashboard service for delivering enterprise data to its field staff. Developers Diversified chose Webalo's service because it allowed them to deliver a mobile solution without the time, cost, and complexity of traditional enterprise-to-mobile application development.

Webalo's Mobile Dashboard service lets Developers Diversified avoid traditional mobile middleware and high cost application development programming tools, making it possible to deliver a mobile version of their enterprise data in a matter of hours. Now, rather than waiting to return to their desks or depend on a laptop, the field staff can access the facts they need directly from their smartphones.

"We had many great ideas but didn't have the manpower or bandwidth for traditional mobile development," said Developers Diversified's Kevin M. Moss, Senior Vice President of Information Technology. "We like the idea of having a single platform to provide easy mobile access to our critical business information. The Webalo Mobile Dashboard will cut down on our administrative tasks and dramatically increase user productivity."

When the field staff visited any of the company's properties each week, they would have to carry volumes of paper reports without real-time information about the tenants and leases at the company's portfolio of over 710 shopping centers. With information provided through the Webalo Mobile Dashboard, facts are accurate and up-to-date because the Mobile Dashboard permits companies to continuously extract critical information from internal business reports and distribute that data directly to the smartphones carried by their mobile workforce.

Peter Price, Webalo's president and CEO, added "Given this economy, it makes a great deal of sense to give users tools that make them more productive, but it doesn't make sense to spend a lot of time and money doing it. Developers Diversified is using the Webalo Mobile Dashboard to eliminate the cost and delays of programming, provide enterprise access within a few hours and, in the process, increase the value of their smartphones and improve the productivity of their employees."

Developers Diversified is deploying the Webalo Mobile Dashboard service to several hundred of its employees.

About Webalo

Webalo technology transforms enterprise applications and data to make them compatible with mobile devices. This eliminates the need for traditional custom programming, reducing the deployment of mobile applications from weeks or months to, in most cases, less than a day. The resulting "anywhere, any time, on-demand" availability of enterprise data on handheld devices turns such devices into viable alternatives to desktop, laptop, and palmtop computer hardware, and lets mobile employees work more productively - on the spot - to solve problems, answer questions, monitor operations, close sales, and make informed decisions.

The Webalo Mobile Dashboard Service - available in both Internet-based and enterprise appliance-based implementations - lets non-IT business administrators securely specify the content of mobile-accessible information, and the companion Webalo Proxy Server configures it, in seconds, to conform to the native user interface of any BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, PocketPC, Palm, Symbian, or Java-enabled smartphone. Webalo's technology transforms the role of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA: 2.17, -0.03, -1.36%) into a User Oriented Architecture, enabling Web services to communicate with users as effectively as they communicate with other system services.

Webalo Partners such as Actuate, AT&T, IBM, Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, and Verizon are working with Webalo to enhance both their mobile business applications and their mobile devices. Los Angeles based, Webalo is privately held and was founded in 2000. For further information, visit www.webalo.com.

About DDR

Developers Diversified Realty Corporation currently owns and manages over 710 retail operating and development properties in 45 states, plus Puerto Rico, Brazil and Canada, totaling approximately 157 million square feet. Developers Diversified Realty Corporation is a self-administered and self-managed REIT operating as a fully integrated real estate company which acquires, develops, leases and manages shopping centers. Additional information about Developers Diversified is available on the Internet at www.ddr.com.

Editors, note: All trademarks and registered trademarks are those of their respective companies.

SOURCE: Webalo

Webalo, Inc.
Peter Price, +1-310-828-7335
Fax: +1-310-828-5805
pprice@webalo.com


Copyright Business Wire 2009

**********************************************************************

As of Sunday, 03-22-2009 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrend� Alert,
an automated pattern recognition system, indicated an UPTREND on
12-08-2008 for DDR @ $6.01.

For more information on SmarTrend, contact your market data
provider or go to www.mysmartrend.com

SmarTrend is a registered trademark of Comtex News Network, Inc.
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Just In: Adobe Reader, IE 7 Holes Under Attack

If you were an Internet crook, the following item would be music to your ears: A zero-day flaw--a security hole with no fix available before attacks could be launched--exists in Adobe Reader and Acrobat, and can be exploited by a poisoned PDF file in an attempt to take over a vulnerable computer.

As Symantec reported in February, crooks have hit the flaw with small-scale attacks that e-mail PDF attachments to specific targets. Adobe says a patch should be ready for version 9 of both programs by the time you read this, with fixes for earlier versions to follow. Read Adobe's alert and get a link to the eventual fixes.

Word Docs Target IE 7

Bad guys went after a bug in Internet Explorer 7 a week after Microsoft distributed a fix. Those attacks employed a malicious Word document, but the Internet Storm Center has warned that crooks could also add hidden code to a hijacked Web site to create a drive-by download attack. You can in­­stall the patch for this browser flaw via Automatic Updates, or you can download it.
ad_icon

The same patch batch from Microsoft addresses a security vulnerability in the company's Visio diagramming software; an attack through this hole can be triggered if you open a hacked Visio file.

Meanwhile, Mozilla fixed six security holes in its Firefox browser, one of which was deemed critical. Firefox version 3.0.6 and later has the fixes; click Help, Check for Updates to make sure that you have the latest version. The same critical flaw can hit the Thunderbird e-mail program if Java­Script is enabled for e-mail (it's disabled by de­­fault, and discouraged by Mozilla). Version 2.0.0.21 closes the hole.

Media File Mayhem

If you use RealNetworks' RealPlayer, beware of a risk involving malformed Internet Video Recording (IVR) files. According to security company Fortinet, simply previewing a poisoned IVR file in Windows Explorer could allow an at­­tacker to run any command on a vulnerable PC. Versions 11 through 11.04 are at risk, while 11.05 and later are not affected. Check your version by clicking Help, About RealPlayer, and, if you need it, click for the upgrade.

Finally, OpenOffice users should know that a default installation of the productivity suite's latest version (3.0.1) adds an old, insecure version of Sun's Java (Java 6 Update 7). According to the Washington Post, which originally reported the issue, the suite should work fine with the latest edition, Java 6 Update 12; remove your old Java versions and install the new one. You can also read the original report. The OpenOffice team should have a new version (with an updated Java version) by the time you read this, and you can also get a Java-less install via peer-to-peer download.

Get Ready For Java On AppEngine

Here's a juicy rumor (if you're a geek, this is good stuff): A source tells us that Google AppEngine, a platform for building and hosting web applications in the cloud, will begin letting developers write applications in Java in the near future. Until now only Python applications were supported. The announcement should come at the Google I/O conference in late May.

Java applications are extremely popular, particularly for business applications, and it is one of the internally supported languages at Google. In fact, late last year a startup called Stax Networks launched that billed itself as an "AppEngine for Java." Don't feel too bad for the startup, however, they've said from the beginning that they expected Google to enter the Java market sooner rather than later.

Java continues to be one of the most popular programming languages, and is a natural next step for Google. And AppEngine has been a highly successful product, at least from a press standpoint - the Obama Administration has embraced it along with all things Google.

Sun Micro Shares Slide As Concerns Grow Around IBM Deal

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Sun Microsystems Inc. (JAVA) shares hit their lowest point Monday since the news broke last week of a potential acquisition by International Business Machines Corp. (IBM).

The stock's decline, which has been fairly steady since hitting a high of $ 9.27 on Wednesday, reflects Wall Street's concerns that the deal won't get done or not at the premium first suggested.

Both companies declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the deal was being delayed as IBM completed its due diligence.

Sun Micro shares had rallied after The Wall Street Journal reported that IBM was in talks to purchase the company for $10 to $11 a share, or up to roughly $8 billion. The stock hit a low of $7.25 Monday - down nearly 22% from Wednesday's high - before rising with the broader market late in the session Monday.

Despite the late-day gains, Sun Micro still was one of the few decliners Monday, dropping 3.7% to $7.80.

"Ten or eleven bucks a share looks fine as a sum of the parts, but if you factor in cash and debt, I think it's closer to $8 or $9," said Argus Research analyst Wendy Abramowitz.

A double-digit per-share price would represent more than a 100% premium to what had been Sun's closing price - $4.97 - before the news last week.

Since deal reports surfaced, others have shown skepticism about the price as well. Thomas Weisel analyst Doug Reid said in a client note that a cash bid of approximately $8.50 a share represents a "best-case scenario" takeout valuation for Sun. Bill Shope of Credit Suisse also said last week that he was "surprised by the premium IBM is willing to offer."

There are several reasons why investors might be skeptical. For one, the companies remain mum days after reports of a both a possible deal and a lengthy due-diligence process. Also, few others look prepared to compete with IBM for control of the company, which makes the chances slim for a bidding war and a higher premium.

Additionally, IBM may find it faces significant challenges integrating a company with many disparate businesses, and a culture said to be led by engineers, not executives.

To be sure, IBM has the cash to make a deal happen despite the tight financing environment. As of Dec. 31, IBM had $12.9 billion in cash and cash equivalents, and reported a 12% rise in fourth-quarter profit, bucking the trend of other tech bellwethers suffering from slumping spending.

But as early excitement winds down, so too could Sun's share price. The company has been hit by a drop in demand for its high-end servers. Sun has traditionally relied on purchases from the struggling financial-services sector, which was hit early in the current downturn.

In January, the company reported that it swung to a fiscal second-quarter loss, and Chief Executive Jonathan Schwartz said the economic crisis was causing customers to delay purchases of some of its products. In November, Sun announced plans to cut up to 18% of its work force, or as many as 6,000 employees, in an effort to cut annual costs by some $750 million a year.

-By Jerry A. DiColo; Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5670; jerry.dicolo@ dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires
03-23-09 1653ET
Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

What about Java?

When you state that SUN doesnt make money out of Java, is it something you know, wish it would be so, or just sheer phantasies? It is quite often you speak about things you have no clue, you can never back your claims up with proof.

Sun's bottom line is my ultimate proof, but where are the licenses Sun is selling for Java? Where are the licenses, consultancy or support that Sun is raking in for development tools off the back of Java? I'll tell you where they are - nowhere. Zilch, zip, none.

All Sun did with Java was to create a reasonably successful development platform for their competitors (mostly IBM) that turned the things they really wanted to sell, Solaris and SPARC, into commodities because people could easily move Java applications off those platforms. None of this inane rambling has done anything to argue my main point regarding that.

Seriously, what are you doing here on OSNEWS? You are clearly not IT knowledgeable.

Keep deluding yourself about the reality of the situation, and we've also been through the rest of your inane bullshit many times. Trying to rehash arguments again when you have the memory of a goldfish and can't remember what has been explained and argued won't make you right.

I can see you're obviously deeply hurt by the predicament that Sun is in and obviously cannot fathom for the life of you how all this could possibly have happened, but I'm not an Agony Uncle.

Is IBM (IBM) Deal To Buy Sun (JAVA) In Trouble?

Inevitably, when a corporate buy-out is announced or rumored, the target company’s stock prices trades up to the level of the value of the deal.

Last week, there was news that IBM (IBM) was likely to buy Sun (JAVA) for about $10 a share. Sun’s stock jumped from under $5 to almost $9 in one day. But, since then Sun’s shares have been moving down. They closed the week at $7.83, well below the rumored purchase price.

There could be several reasons that IBM has either lost interest in Sun or is considering lowering a purchase price. One is that Sun has lost money or broken even in several of its most recent quarters. In the periods when the company did make a profit, it was modest. It may be that IBM has discovered that the next several quarters look weak for Sun.

Alternatively, IBM may have found out the the value of Sun’s customer contracts going forward are not as strong as it may have initially believed. Sun may be losing market share to larger competitors like Hewlett-Packard (HPQ). If Sun’s piece of the server global server industry is dropping rapidly, IBM may be considering walking away from a transaction or lowering its offer.

Oracle and HP proposed joint Sun dismemberment deal

Oracle and Hewlett-Packard are believed to have made a joint offer for Sun Microsystems in a deal totaling more than $2bn.

Under the deal, database giant Oracle would have taken Sun's software portfolio for $2bn, leaving HP with Sun's vast Solaris, Sparc, and x86 server products, manufacturing and distribution, and user base.

A potential deal between the three is understood to have been blocked by IBM, in the middle of talks to buy the whole of Sun for a reported $6.5bn.

Oracle, HP, and Sun declined to comment on what they called rumors, while IBM was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

A source, who didn't want to be identified, told The Reg that Oracle and HP had gone in to meet Sun to discuss the possible deal.

It's already been reported that Sun had been shopping itself around Silicon Valley, with HP named as a potential buyer.

This, though, is the first indication that HP had teamed with Larry Ellison's M&A beast Oracle - which has bought 50 companies in four years - to take only what they wanted from Sun. At $2bn, this would have been one of Oracle's large purchases, slotting behind PeopleSoft and BEA Systems.

Oracle and Sun parted ways on Java and on databases on Sparc a while back, partly thanks to Sun's $1bn purchase of the popular open-source database MySQL.

Of all Sun's software products, Oracle is likely to be most interested in owning this.

Despite what Sun thinks of itself as a software company, it has failed to build either a must-have software portfolio or a huge base of customers feeding Sun with license or services revenue around Java or open source.

The only bright spots are Solaris, Sun's directory and identity servers and MySQL. That's despite chief executive Jonathan Schwartz's rhetoric about making money from open-source in the cloud, which must be seen as an attempt to talk up the value of Sun's software assets and their potential.

MySQL would have had the most immediate interest for Oracle. Directory and identity are more complicated sells and Oracle has its own offerings. Oracle, meanwhile, has been distancing itself from anything to do with Sparc, as its systems relationship with Sun has cooled in recent years and the industry focus has shifted off Unix and Sparc and onto Linux and x86.

The database, though, has been growing relatively fast, although it has been tough converting free users into paying Sun customers.

Oracle, meanwhile, has failed to string together a decent open-source middleware strategy, from the time it let JBoss go to Red Hat to Oracle's predatory Red Hat support services that has fizzled.

An open-source database would give Oracle a big overnight presence among developers and in the OEM and web applications markets.

Oracle made a tentative play to undermine MySQL in 2006 when it purchased the InnoDB transactional storage engine. MySQL developers have since filled the InnoDB gap.

Had it been successful, a deal would likely have alarmed MySQL users and developers over the database's future, given Oracle's priority is paid, closed-source databases and the fact that it tried through InnoDB to kill MySQL.

That said, MySQL's future under Sun has also been looking uncertain. MySQL author Monty Widenius has left while former MySQL chief executive Marten Mickos will see his last day at Sun next Tuesday, following a farewell appearance at this week's Open Source Business Conference in San Francisco, California.

Other former MySQL executives are also believed to be looking for a way out of Sun. It is believed individuals in the MySQL management have been unhappy with the fact Sun's management has not been listening to their advice on strategy and direction. ®

With Sun, IBM Aims for Cloud Computing Heights

IBM (IBM) is in the midst of negotiating to acquire Sun Microsystems (JAVA) at a critical time for the tech industry. A major shift is at hand in the way businesses handle computing tasks, and giants such as IBM and Sun are under pressure to alter the way they operate. Neither company would comment on the potential $6.5 billion deal, but it's clear that if IBM adds Sun's Internet technologies to its arsenal, it will be better poised for what comes next.

The rise of what's known as cloud computing has the potential to turn the tech industry on its head. Rather than buying and managing their own machines, businesses can buy everything from salesforce-tracking software to supply chain management as a service, over the Internet. They pay monthly fees to companies that specialize in operating data centers. "Cloud computing is a different way of consuming and delivering computing," said Erich Clementi, general manager of enterprise initiatives at IBM, before news of the Sun negotiations leaked. "It has the potential to transform nearly everything we do."

Sun has a broad portfolio of Net-oriented technologies including the Java programming language and systems for running consumer Web sites, such as Last.fm, a popular music service. Those technologies give Sun a strong foothold in cloud computing and could help IBM in the business.

For large computer makers, including IBM, Sun, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), and Dell (DELL), the shift to cloud computing brings challenges as well as opportunities. Computers in cloud data centers are shared by many companies, so more is done with less equipment—putting a potential drag on server-computer sales. Cloud pioneer Salesforce.com (CRM), for instance, handles 54,000 companies and their 1.5 million employees via just 1,000 servers.

The cloud phenomenon will put pressure on margins, too. In some cases, computer makers will sell gear to cloud-hosting outfits that in turn provide services to companies. Large hosting companies may have the scale to negotiate rock-bottom prices. "We'll have pricing leverage," says Bryan Doerr, chief technology officer at Savvis (SVVS), a large hosting company.

If computer companies offer their own cloud services, they'll be trading the instant gratification of lucrative computer sales for a stream of payments stretched over months. After Sun launched a precursor of cloud services four years ago, some salespeople balked at losing out on hardware commissions. Analyst Frank E. Gillett of Forrester Research (FORR) predicts that "the server guys are in for a long, difficult transition."
FALSE START

Sun's earlier foray shows how difficult it might be. In 2005, Sun began offering computing power delivered as a service at $1 per hour. But Sun's Network.com service never took off. Lew Tucker, chief technology officer for Sun's new cloud initiative, says the problem was the narrow target market, mainly Wall Street firms that already operated their own data centers. Tucker calls it a learning experience. The company's new Sun Cloud service, unveiled Mar. 17, is aimed at a broader audience: Web 2.0 startups and units of large corporations.

Web startups long favored Sun gear for running their sites, but the company has lost momentum. For several years, Web companies have been shifting away from Sun's powerful computers and opting for lower-cost, basic servers.

Purchasing Sun would be a risk for IBM, but the merger would enhance its chances of becoming a major player in cloud computing. With a $13 billion cash hoard, IBM can afford the gamble.

As IBM-Sun Micro talks drag on, analysts eye risks

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As IBM's (IBM.N) negotiations to buy Sun Microsystems Inc (JAVA.O) enter another week, some analysts are weighing the risks in what could be the biggest U.S. technology deal this year.

As of Friday, IBM was still examining Sun's business as part of its due diligence process, and talks may extend beyond next week, according to one source who was not authorized to speak about the talks and therefore requested anonymity.

Most on Wall Street say a deal would bolster IBM's high-end computer and software business, and help ensure the survival of much-smaller Sun. But they also note that Sun's lagging business could hurt IBM's margins and derail its shift to more lucrative software and services from increasingly commoditized hardware sales.

"Strategically we're a little lukewarm on it," said Edward Jones analyst Andy Miedler. "Financially this could make sense. But we question how much IBM needs Sun and whether it will would be able to get better value out of Sun's software than Sun is getting."

Wachovia analyst David Wong disagreed with some views that Sun's software assets would help IBM grow.

Sun posted an 11 percent decline in quarterly revenue for its fiscal quarter ended December 28, while gross margins shrank to 41.9 percent from 48.5 percent from a year earlier. The company rose to prominence in the 1990s but never fully recovered from the dotcom bubble burst earlier this decade, and analysts say failed talks with IBM could trigger a sell-off in the shares.

"Although Sun has what we consider to be interesting software intellectual property, including Solaris and Java, Sun's own revenue breakout shows that less than 10 percent of its sales are directly ascribable to software," Wong said.

"We think that an acquisition of Sun would offer limited benefit to IBM."

The Wall Street Journal reported on March 18 that IBM could pay as much as $8 billion for Sun, amounting to a 100 percent premium for the high-end server computer maker. If a deal is sealed, it would be IBM's largest acquisition.

First Global research analyst Amitabh Goel earlier this week said Sun was simply too troubled and that there was too much risk for IBM to get involved.

"All said and done, Sun Microsystems still remains a company with a huge cost base, with a declining revenue trend adding further to its woes," he said.

SILENCE FROM BOTH SIDES

Neither IBM nor Sun has said they are in talks, and both declined to comment on news reports of their negotiations. Some analysts said the lack of official confirmation and explanation of their strategies made it hard to assess potential benefits.

To be sure, many analysts are still upbeat that a deal could give IBM a clear lead in the server market against Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) and Dell Inc (DELL.O). It would also give IBM an edge against Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O), which some see as its biggest rival in several years.

Kaufman Brothers analyst Shaw Wu said that even though Sun had not succeeded in making much profit from its new software products, he believed that they could find more demand if they were coupled with IBM's broad portfolio.
He said Java software could do for IBM, to some extent, what iTunes does for personal computer and iPod maker Apple Inc (AAPL.O). "I think it's a fair parallel. iTunes is not really an engine in itself but it really helps Apple sell the other stuff," Wu said.

Analysts said IBM will likely launch a major restructuring at Sun once it buys the company. That could result in more job losses at a company known for talented engineers and heavy focus on research and development, they said.

IBM has already cut several thousand jobs in recent months, and is cutting another 5,000 U.S. jobs on top of that, people with knowledge of the matter said.

But most agreed the greatest risk for Sun at the moment was in the deal falling through. Failed negotiations with IBM likely will mean that Sun will need to look for another buyer, and contend with a lower offer.

"If skeletons tumble out of Sun's closet during the process, the deal could fall apart," said one technology banker familiar with the process of due diligence. "We've done hundreds of transactions where it looks good on the surface, then you get in there and you back away."

Sun shares closed at $7.83 on Friday, down from a high of $9.27 struck after the deal was first reported, but still significantly above $4.97, its last closing price before the talks were first reported.

"IBM likes to take the charge when doing due diligence," said one Sun shareholder, who requested anonymity. "But every day that a deal doesn't happen makes me more nervous."

IBM shares fell 4.7 percent to $94.15 on the New York Stock Exchange, on a day when by comparison the tech-laden Nasdaq fell 2.6 percent.

IP issues could be slowing IBM-Sun talks, experts say

If IBM is in the due diligence phase of acquisition talks with Sun Microsystems, as news reports suggest, then it has an awful lot to be diligent about.

In a merger of this scale, IBM would need to take a hard look not only at Sun's finances but also at any antitrust issues that may arise, as well as potential conflicts related to intellectual property. Those could include compatibility of software licenses and patent agreements with third parties.
Mining the Right Iron: Download now

"In a deal of this size, there are typically lots of moving parts," said Randall Bowen, an attorney at Grad, Logan and Klewans in Falls Church, Virginia. "Think of a kaleidoscope, where you turn it and everything comes together to form a nice symmetrical shape. Either that happens and everything falls into place, or else it shatters."

The Wall Street Journal reported last Friday that IBM was scouring Sun's business contracts for potential conflicts in a prelude to a possible merger, a process it said was expected to take "a number of days." With another week over and no word about a deal from the companies, some observers are starting to wonder if there's a holdup.


"It's impossible to know what it is they're looking at, but the fact that it's taking this long gives one pause to wonder whether there's just such a volume of contracts to look at that it's occupying all this time, or whether they've found some issues that they're busily chasing down," said Steven Frank, a partner with the law firm Goodwin Procter.

To be sure, the due diligence process for a merger this size could take months to complete. But companies often do a cursory review of the business they hope to acquire in order to announce a preliminary merger agreement. They then take several months before the deal is finalized to pore over the details.

If they do plan to merge, Sun and IBM may simply be haggling over price. But if the due diligence is holding them up, the thorny area of intellectual property could create some sticking points, said Frank, who spoke about IT industry mergers in general and not specifically this one.

Both companies have vast product portfolios governed by a mix of open-source and commercial licenses. They also have numerous patent and cross-licensing deals with third parties, including a byzantine agreement that Sun forged with Microsoft in 2004 that ended a lawsuit between them over the Java software technology.

Sun may be licensing a technology from a third party that is vital to one of its products, for example, and such agreements sometimes have clauses stipulating that the license can't be transferred if the licensee is acquired. IBM would need to approach the third party to extend the license, or decide whether to go ahead with the merger even if it has to find another way to build the product.


That's the issue Intel raised about Advanced Micro Devices' sale of its manufacturing operations to an Abu Dhabi investment group. Intel accused AMD of violating a cross-patent agreement on x86 processors that could not be transferred to a third party, and the companies are in talks with a mediator to resolve the dispute.

Conflicting software licenses can also be a problem. Dozens of Sun's products, including OpenSolaris, NetBeans and its GlassFish Web software, use its Common Development and Distribution License, which is based on the open-source Mozilla Public License. Its MySQL database is offered under the GPL or a Sun commercial license, while still other products use different licenses.

Depending on what IBM has planned for Sun's technologies, the mix of licenses could be a challenge, said Randall Colson, a partner at Haynes and Boone. For example, some industry analysts speculate that IBM wants to merge the best of Solaris into IBM's AIX Unix, which is offered under an IBM commercial license. If Sun has merged a third party's open-source code into Solaris, IBM may find barriers to merging Solaris with its proprietary AIX software.


Perhaps most complex for IBM would be the intricate deal that Sun entered into with Microsoft, which ended a long-standing lawsuit between them over Microsoft's alleged attempts to undermine Java.

The deal netted Sun almost $2 billion from Microsoft, including payments of $700 million for Sun to drop its Java lawsuit, and a further $900 million for a patent-sharing agreement that could be extended for as long as 10 years. IBM, whose software business depends heavily on Java, would need to pull those agreements apart to ensure nothing could interfere with its business or expose it to legal risk from Microsoft.

With reports of the due diligence work only a week old, it would be premature to assume that any talks under way have run into trouble, Bowen said. But the longer they take, the more uncertainty it creates for the customers and investors.
"It's fair to say that with every day that passes, it makes it seem a little less likely that this deal is going to happen," he said

IBM-Sun Acquisition May Make ‘1 Plus 1’ Less Than 2

International Business Machines Corp.’s acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc. could be bad news for the small suppliers that have grown up around the computer industry as their largest customers fuse.

Network gear makers QLogic Corp. and Emulex Corp. would be among suppliers with fewer places to sell their products, channeling pricing power to buyers, said Peter Falvey, managing director of investment bank Revolution Partners LLC. IBM is in talks to buy computer-server maker Sun, people with knowledge of the matter have said.

QLogic, Emulex and Mellanox Technologies Ltd., which makes products that help servers communicate, have a combined market value of less than $3 billion and their annual sales are equal to about 1 percent of IBM’s. They get about half their revenue from IBM, Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Sun, according to data compiled by business relationship Web site Connexiti.com.

“The real threat is it’s a 1 plus 1 equals 1.7 situation,” Boston-based Falvey said in an interview. “I’m sure those guys are nervous.”

Emulex gets about 35 percent of its revenue from IBM and Sun, compared with 27 percent for QLogic and 23 percent for Mellanox, according to Connexiti. A combined company would have the scale to press suppliers for lower prices, potentially reducing the value of sales, Falvey said.

IBM’s Dominance

The deal would give IBM, the largest maker of server computers, almost half of global server sales, and may spark a wave of acquisitions that could pressure suppliers further. That, coupled with the recession, has weighed on cash flow and available credit at those smaller suppliers, which may in turn push them to combine to stay afloat, Deloitte LLP Vice Chairman Eric Openshaw said.

“If you have a big cash war chest, you can ride this thing out,” said Openshaw, who leads the consultant’s technology group. “If you don’t, you’re probably looking to see who your most logical partner is.”

IBM, based in Armonk, New York, would pay about $10 for each share of Sun, according to the people familiar with the matter. Server computers run networks and Web sites.

Dell, the second-largest personal computer maker, and EMC Corp., the world’s biggest maker of storage computers, may be next in line to be sold, Revolution’s Falvey said. Round Rock, Texas-based Dell has cut jobs to help reduce $4 billion in expenses as it deals with a recession that’s predicted to cut PC shipments by the most ever this year, while EMC is one of the few, mid-sized companies left to target, he said.

Stock Performance

Emulex fell 16 cents to $5.52 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading at 4:01 p.m. QLogic dropped 39 cents to $11.72 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Sunnyvale, California-based Mellanox declined 35 cents to $8.77.

Customer loyalty could help offset the impact an IBM-Sun merger would have on the companies’ suppliers, said Rajesh Ghai, an analyst at ThinkEquity LLC in San Francisco.

Businesses accustomed to using one type of technology, like the network gear that QLogic and Emulex make, are probably going to be unwilling to part with their equipment, said Ghai, who rates QLogic shares “accumulate” and doesn’t own any.

Executives at QLogic and Emulex contend that consolidation won’t hurt their business. Aliso Viejo, California-based QLogic supplies chips and switches for corporate networks. Emulex, based in Costa Mesa, California, makes components that help computers store data.

Emulex Stance

“The rumored IBM-Sun deal could have a positive impact on our storage and data networking business” by increasing sales of some products, said Scott Genereux, QLogic’s senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. He touted the company’s more than 10-year relationship with IBM and said there’s a “strong preference” for QLogic’s products in Sun’s user base, which may help increase sales of products that let computers work with other devices.

“We’re embracing it,” Emulex Chief Operating Officer Jeff Benck said in an e-mail. “It provides us with stronger customers.” Spokeswoman Katherine Lane declined to elaborate further.

Mellanox spokesman Brian Sparks declined to comment because the IBM-Sun talks haven’t been officially disclosed. IBM spokesman Ian Colley declined to comment on the company’s relationships with suppliers. Sun declined to comment on a possible deal with IBM, spokesman Shawn Dainas said. Representatives at Dell and Hopkinton, Massachusetts-based EMC also declined to comment.

Palmisano’s Goal

IBM Chief Executive Officer Sam Palmisano has pledged to use the recession to strengthen the company through acquisitions and research after revenue fell 6.4 percent last quarter. Global server sales will probably drop 17 percent to $44.2 billion this year, according to Credit Suisse Group AG.

Consolidation has implications for bigger companies as well. Top software maker Microsoft Corp., based in Redmond, Washington, gets about $2.4 billion in annual sales from IBM and Sun Microsystems, while Intel Corp., the world’s largest chipmaker, gets $714.1 million, according to Connexiti data.

An outside spokesman for Microsoft declined to comment, as did Tom Beermann, a spokesman for Santa Clara, California-based Intel.

While orders from IBM and Sun make up only a fraction of Microsoft and Intel’s revenue -- 3.9 percent and 1.9 percent of annual sales respectively -- a wave of customer consolidations and a drop in sales, alongside a declining economy would add up, said Sachin Shah, a mergers and acquisitions analyst at ICAP Plc.

“This is going to hit home if this becomes reality -- reality in the sense that it’s not just this deal,” said Jersey City, New Jersey-based Shah, who doesn’t own shares of IBM, Sun, Microsoft or Intel. The supply chain “is going to see a revolutionary change based on where the economy is going.”

Can we clean up politics?

For the glass-is-half-full crowd, something positive may come from Illinois' Rod Blagojevich experience. It seems like everybody in Springfield these days is talking about reform. Of course, talk in politics is cheap. Meaningful change is much tougher. In today's Chicagoland section, we look at significant steps that other states have taken, and the prospects for Illinois moving in that direction.

List Shows Targets For Ill. Fundraising

CHICAGO -- A list of people targeted for contributions by former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich's campaign committee included four possible candidates for appointment to President Obama's vacant Senate seat, according to a published newspaper report.

The Chicago Sun-Times obtained the list and posted it on its Web site Saturday. It is dated Dec. 3, six days before Blagojevich's arrest on federal charges of scheming to sell or trade the Senate appointment, among other misdeeds. Blagojevich denies any wrongdoing.

The list includes the names of J.B. Pritzker, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez and Roland W. Burris. All were reported to be under consideration, and Burris ultimately got the governor's appointment to the Senate.

None is reported to have contributed. About 150 names are on the list, some with dollar amounts as goals, adding up to more than $2 million.

Sun Microsystems Hosts CommunityOne Open Source Developer Conference for World's Technology Communities

Unveils Open Cloud Platform and Previews the Sun Cloud – Public Cloud for Developers Students and Startups
CommunityOne Open Source Developer Conference

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In his opening keynote at the annual CommunityOne open source developer conference, David Douglas, senior vice president of Cloud Computing and chief sustainability officer at Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAVA), will discuss Sun's overall commitment to open source, building communities and will showcase the company's newly announced Open Cloud Platform. Sun will also preview plans to launch the Sun Cloud, its first public cloud service targeted at developers, student and startups. As part of its commitment to building communities, Sun will release a set of Open APIs, announce broad partner support for its cloud platform and demonstrate innovative features of the Sun Cloud.

Douglas' keynote will include a series of interactive interviews with community leaders from Eucalyptus, RightScale and Zmanda who will discuss opportunities that are created by the innovations of Sun's cloud platform. One of the demonstrations to be featured is an extension for Star Office(TM) and OpenOffice.org(TM). It will enable millions of users to easily save to and open documents from the cloud. In addition, Eucalyptus is expected to announce their open source cloud APIs supporting Sun's Cloud. The developers also intend to integrate Eucalyptus APIs in the next version of Ubuntu OS. These APIs will enable developers to easily create applications they can deploy on the Sun Cloud.

CommunityOne, a Sun-sponsored event, is a dynamic and diverse gathering of open source developer communities that includes thousands of developers and members from the Apache Software Foundation, Eclipse, GlassFish(TM), Grails, MySQL(TM), NetBeans(TM), ODF Alliance, OpenID, OpenOffice.org, OpenSolaris(TM), Python, Ruby and many others. Now in its second year, the CommunityOne gatherings have brought together more than 5,500 attendees, including students from 80 countries to share in the power of communities. Growing in popularity since its launch in San Francisco in 2007, this is the first time CommunityOne will be held on the East Coast.

On Thursday, March 19, expert educators from Sun Learning Services will lead deep technical tutorials on building dynamic Web 2.0 websites, designing robust enterprise applications and harnessing the power of the world's most popular open source database. CommunityOne will also offer hands-on technology demonstrations and an “open space” for open source groups to hold public discussions.

For those unable to attend CommunityOne in person Sun will Webcast the general sessions, as well as the technical sessions. Click here to view (http://sun.com/communityone). The replay of the general session will be available post conference here (http://developers.sun.com/events/communityone).

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Sun Microsystems develops the technologies that power the global marketplace. Guided by a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" (TM) -- Sun drives network participation through shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://sun.com.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, Solaris, OpenSolaris, GlassFish, MySQL, NetBeans and the Network is the Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

Big Software Names Coming to Sydney and Brisbane

Senior Architects from Yahoo, Microsoft, IBM and Google will be travelling from all over the world to present at this year’s JAOO conference held in Sydney and Brisbane in early May.
The strong partnership between the Queensland University of Technology, Dave Thomas of Bedarra Research Labs and JAOO Conferences has made the conference return to Australia in 2009, giving Australian software professionals the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s best IT gurus.

JAOO invites international product and application architects, thought leaders and authors with unique industry expertise to give in depth tutorials on current and emerging technologies and practices.

Attendees to JAOO can get ahead of their competitors by learning about the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to methods, practices and experiences in design and architecture.

This year's program will focus on Web 2.0, Cloud Computing, Enterprise Platforms, Architect and Design and Agile Development Practices.

Australian software professionals will get the chance to interact with Clemens Szyperski, Software Architect Microsoft Olso modeling platform, Joshua J Bloch, Chief Java Architect at Google, Douglas Crockford, JavaScript Architect at Yahoo, Dan North inventor of Behaviour Driven Development and Principal Consultant from ThoughtWorks and Michael T Nygard, author of “Release It!”.

JAOO Australia gives attendees the chance to network with the best software developers from Australia and all over the world without the cost of overseas travel.

"The attendees will have the chance to really pick the brains of the presenters coming to the conference as they stay for the duration of the four day event", which is a unique aspect to JAOO according to Dave Thomas, Chairman Bedarra Research Labs Pty and co-organiser of JAOO Australia.

"A conference of this calibre rarely reaches Australia's shores, it's a once a year opportunity for the best of the best to meet up", said Mr Thomas.

Since 1996, Trifork has organized JAOO and by creating events "for developers, by developers" JAOO is highly regarded by both participants and speakers.

JAOO originally stood for "Java and Object-Oriented" but today JAOO has evolved into a more in-depth conference with a wider set of content than just Java-based technologies.

JAOO will be in Sydney May 5-8 and in Brisbane May 11-14.

Instantiations Releases Major Upgrade to WindowBuilder Pro; Wins Best Commercial Eclipse Developer Tool Award

New features of WindowBuilder Pro v7.0, the market-leading Eclipse Java GUI Builder, to be showcased at EclipseCon 2009 with other product upgrades to its software quality, security, performance and GUI testing tools

Santa Clara, CA (PRWEB) March 24, 2009 -- Instantiations, Inc., a leading provider of Eclipse-based commercial software solutions, today released version 7.0 of its market-leading WindowBuilder™ Pro Java graphical user-interface (GUI) builder, and was awarded the "Best Commercial Eclipse-Based Developer Tool" by the Eclipse Foundation at EclipseCon 2009. WindowBuilder Pro includes powerful functionality for creating user interfaces based on the popular Swing, SWT (Standard Widget Toolkit), and GWT (Google Web Toolkit) UI frameworks.



Best Commercial Eclipse-Based Developer Tool
It has been impressive to see the continued growth and popularity of WindowBuilder Pro
Instantiations continues to deliver high quality, innovative tools for the Eclipse platform that help developers utilize Eclipse more effectively, and we're pleased with their continued support of Eclipse.
Best Commercial Eclipse-Based Developer Tool
We are thrilled with the Eclipse Foundation's recognition of WindowBuilder Pro as the best commercial Eclipse-based developer tool
We are extremely committed to innovating and evolving the product to exceed the expectations of our thousands of loyal customers. WindowBuilder Pro is an incredibly flexible and feature rich development tool that showcases the depth and power of the Eclipse platform.
Updates in v7.0 include UI Factories, a convenient way to create customized, reusable versions of common components, improved parsing using binary execution flow, a new customization API for third party extensibility, Eclipse Nebula widgets integration (SWT), Swing Data Binding, JSR 295 (Swing), and full support for GWT-Ext widgets and layouts (GWT).

"It has been impressive to see the continued growth and popularity of WindowBuilder Pro," said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation. "Instantiations continues to deliver high quality, innovative tools for the Eclipse platform that help developers utilize Eclipse more effectively, and we're pleased with their continued support of Eclipse."

WindowBuilder Pro was acknowledged as the "Best Commercial Eclipse-Based Developer Tool" by the Eclipse Foundation at an award ceremony Monday night, March 23, at EclipseCon 2009. The highly acclaimed Instantiations product was one of three finalists out of a pool of 64 total candidates, and then selected number one by a panel of judges from the Eclipse community. WindowBuilder Pro was chosen for its usability, innovation, flexibility across different types of Java user interface frameworks, and the ability to solve the unique problems of software developers.

In addition to being an award winner, Instantiations is a Silver Sponsor Exhibitor at EclipseCon 2009, president and CEO, Mike Taylor was re-elected to the Eclipse Foundation board, and members of Instantiations' senior technical staff are making the following presentations:

* Building Commercial-Quality Eclipse Plug-Ins: Tutorial by Dan Rubel and Eric Clayberg, Mon. March 23, 8:00 a.m.
* RAP versus GWT: Dan Rubel and Mark Russell, Tues. March 24, 2:20 p.m.
* Birds of a Feather Session and Reception: "Eclipse Plug-ins" authors showcase and interview, Tues. March 24, 7:30 p.m.
* UI Testing Patterns and Best Practices: Phil Quitslund and Dan Rubel, Wed. March 25, 10 a.m.


"We are thrilled with the Eclipse Foundation's recognition of WindowBuilder Pro as the best commercial Eclipse-based developer tool," said Eric Clayberg, Instantiations senior vice-president of product development, co-founder of Instantiations and co-author of Eclipse Plug-ins. "We are extremely committed to innovating and evolving the product to exceed the expectations of our thousands of loyal customers. WindowBuilder Pro is an incredibly flexible and feature rich development tool that showcases the depth and power of the Eclipse platform."

WindowBuilder Pro is a market-leading bi-directional Eclipse GUI builder which seamlessly integrates into any Eclipse-based Java development environment. With its drag-and-drop functionality, developers can easily add many components and create complicated windows in minutes, with Java code being generated automatically. The product includes a visual design editor, wizards, intelligent layout assistants, localization and more. WindowBuilder Pro component products include Swing Designer™, SWT Designer™, and GWT Designer™.

New in WindowBuilder Pro v7.0

* UI Factories - Create an unlimited number of customized widgets that are available from the palette.
* Improved Parsing Using Binary Execution Flow - Even better at parsing handwritten and hand-re-factored code.
* Customization API - provides a much more extensible platform that allows third parties and OEMs to integrate more easily.
* Nebula Widgets Integration (SWT) - handy integration for the Eclipse Nebula widget kit
* Swing Data Binding, JSR 295 (Swing) - Create associations between widgets and a back-end data source.
* GWT-Ext Support (GWT) - Full support for the popular GWT-Ext widgets and layouts.


Pricing and Availability of WindowBuilder Pro
WindowBuilder Pro v7.0 is available for $329 USD with a traditional software license that includes 90 days of upgrades, maintenance and technical support. Discounts are available for multiple licenses or combined product purchases. Product upgrades are available at no cost to customers with current support agreements. Find complete product pricing details at full-feature trial evaluation.

Other Product Updates
The company also announces version upgrades to CodePro AnalytiX™, CodePro Profiler™, WindowTester™ and RCP Developer™.

CodePro AnalytiX V6.1 is a comprehensive automated software quality and code security tool that helps developers decrease potential code security vulnerabilities early in the software development lifecycle and improve Java code quality and reduces development costs through increased developer productivity.

CodePro Profiler V2.1 is a run-time performance analysis tool for Eclipse Java developers; it helps developers to efficiently find performance problems in code during development, while ensuring the creation of fast, reliable and high quality applications.

WindowTester V3.8 is the leading tool for automating the testing of Swing and SWT graphical user interfaces.

RCP Developer V3.8 helps developers accelerate the creation of Eclipse RCP applications, providing tools to design, test, document and deploy Eclipse Rich Client Platform applications.

Download full-feature trial free trials from http://www.instantiations.com/prods/docs/download.html.

About Instantiations
Based in Portland, Oregon, USA, Instantiations is a leading innovator of Eclipse-based solutions and focuses its products and services on improving quality, security, productivity and time-to-market for global software development organizations. The company is also a major contributor in the Smalltalk language market with its VA Smalltalk product. Led by a team of internationally-recognized pioneers in Java and Smalltalk software technology, Instantiations is a founding member of the Eclipse Foundation and the Smalltalk Industry Council, and is an IBM Business Partner. With a line of products for Eclipse, IBM Rational®, JBuilder® and MyEclipse™, the company is named as one the fastest-growing Oregon companies three years running and has been repeatedly ranked among the Top 100 companies influencing software development by SD Times. For more information, visit http://www.instantiations.com.

CodePro AnalytiX, CodePro Profiler, WindowBuilder, Swing Designer, SWT Designer, GWT Designer, RCP Developer and WindowTester are trademarks of Instantiations, Inc. Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective companies

White Oak Technologies, Inc., Google, Sun Microsystems Sponsor World's Largest Python Conference

CHICAGO - March 24, 2009 - PyCon 2009, the largest annual conference of the worldwide Python programming community, takes place March 25 - April 2 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare and the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare in Chicago, IL. The core conference runs March 27-29, with days of special events both before and after the main conference.


Last December's release of Python 3.0 marks one of the most important events in Python's history, and PyCon 2009 provides developers a chance to learn to adapt to it from the worldwide masters of Python programming. Though Python's 2.x series will remain viable for years, the Python community is clearly excited about the way forward paved by Python 3.0. Several PyCon sessions will cover features new to the 3.0 release and techniques for writing Python 3.0 code. Following the main conference days (March 27-29), eighteen major Python-based projects and the Python language core itself will gather attendees for four days of development sprints, where usually far-flung groups will work together to improve and extend their project codebases, and adapt them to Python 3.0's new possibilities.
Python continues to advance in popularity and is acknowledged as one of the most important and useful languages in the IT community. In the past year, the Python language has been awarded the Linux New Media "Best Open Source Programming Language" award and the LinuxQuestions.org Language of the Year, and is currently at position 6 in the TIOBE Programming Community Index. Alan Broder, President of White Oak Technologies, Inc., says, "Since its inception in the late 1990's, WOTI's excellent reputation as a developer of high-performance software has depended on its ability to find top developers who can develop and deliver excellent software products. The marketplace for top technical talent in the Washington DC area is quite competitive, so we needed to choose a language that would enable WOTI to recruit from the widest possible pool of developers. As accomplished developers in C/C++, Lisp, Perl, and other languages, we decided to conduct an experiment to try and build identical web-client applications in both Python and Java, starting with little knowledge of either language. The results were dramatic - including all learning time, we were able to build our first viable Python application in far less time than the equivalent Java application. Python was the obvious choice, and since then, we've not looked back. We're quite pleased that Python continues to provide us with a competitive edge."

Twenty-five industry leaders have joined to sponsor PyCon 2009, including White Oak Technologies, Inc. (Diamond); Google and Sun Microsystems (Platinum); and ESRI, CCP, Visual Numerics, Microsoft, slide.com, and Walt Disney Animation Studios (Gold).


PyCon 2009 includes over eighty-five talks and keynotes, plus Open Spaces, Lightning Talks, and nighttime events - activities that give attendees chances to meet and learn from each other in unstructured and semi-structured ways. An Expo Hall will bring attendees together with sponsors and vendors.


The core PyCon conference days (March 27-29) are preceded by two days (March 25-26) of intensive half-day tutorials. Two invitation-only summit meetings, the Virtual Machine Summit and the Python Community Summit, will run concurrently with the tutorials. These first-time-ever summit meetings will give leaders from the Python and other dynamic programming language communities an opportunity to share ideas and strategize together. All PyCon attendees are invited to stay after the core conference for development sprints (March 30 - April 2).

About Python

Python is an open-source, dynamically typed, object-oriented programming language that can be used in nearly the entire range of technology applications. It offers an easy learning curve and access to a vast array of libraries. With implementations available for all common operating systems as well as the Java and .NET platforms, Python can be used on virtually any system in existence. Like other open-source, dynamic languages, it offers rapid productivity and a vigorous developer community; at the same time, Python's clarity and reliability give confidence to enterprise users. The December 2008 release of Python 3.0 marks a major milestone in Python's history, bringing new levels of clarity, consistency, and power to Python code.


About PyCon

Presented by the Python Software Foundation, the world’s largest Python conference brings together a diverse group of developers, enthusiasts, and organizations to explore new challenges, launch new businesses and forge new connections within the Python community. PyCon provides attendees with the opportunity to delve into the dynamic programming language employed by well-known companies such as Google, Cisco, and the New York Times. PyCon helps people learn new tools and techniques, present their own projects, and meet other Python fans. Press passes to the conference are available for members of the press who would like to see PyCon in person.


About White Oak Technologies, Inc.

White Oak Technologies, Inc. (WOTI) provides the next generation of solutions to massive, information-intensive, strategic intelligence challenges. WOTI, with its industry-leading expert staff, is a premier provider of advanced software technologies. Python is WOTI's primary programming language for solving many or our clients' problems. As a past sponsor of PyCon, WOTI is honored to further support the Python community through PyCon 2009. For more information, visit www.woti.com.

Profits in the Cloud

Atlantic Dominion Solutions LLC (ADS) is something of a rarity in the IT world: a solution provider with SMB clients that's making real money reselling cloud computing resources. Specifically, the Winter Park, Fla.-based application development and data warehousing firm is leveraging "platform-as-a-service" offerings from the Amazon Web Services division of Amazon.com Inc. Drawing on Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3), which offer hosted processing power and storage space, respectively, ADS is building custom solutions for its clients that require no up-front investment in back-office hardware or software. Like most cloud platform providers, Amazon charges customers only for the resources they use, as they use them, and it scales those resources up or down dynamically as needs fluctuate.

With money tight and credit scarce, more and more businesses see appeal in that pay-as-you-go pricing scheme, which is why cloud-based projects are making an increasingly large contribution to ADS' bottom line. "I'd say about 20 percent of what we do is in one way or another involved with the Amazon platform," suggests ADS Chief Executive Officer Robert Dempsey.

Definitions of cloud computing vary widely. But if you thought it was just about software as a service (SaaS), get ready: There's a new cloud on the block. Web-based platform offerings from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and a host of lesser-known players with names like FlexiScale and Joyent are catching on fast-especially with SMBs. And while some channel pros question their reliability and security, others are finding lucrative new ways to profit from them. "The opportunities are definitely out there," Dempsey says.

Capacity on the fly

The latest market projections seem to bear Dempsey out. According to analyst firm IDC, spending on cloud services will nearly triple over the next five years, hitting $42 billion by 2012. Moreover, predicts IDC, cloud-related outlays will account for 25 percent of IT spending growth in 2012 and nearly a third of growth in 2013.

SMBs are responsible for a great deal of that spiking demand. "The most popular users of cloud platforms out there are small businesses," says James Staten, a principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc. That's no surprise, he adds. Notoriously short on cash, SMBs were bound to find an infrastructure model that frees them from buying and maintaining hardware attractive. Plus, since cloud vendors charge customers only for the platform resources they use, there's no overspending on underused server and storage capacity. "If your business is small and stays small, so does your bill," Staten notes. If you grow, your IT costs grow no faster than the rest of your company.

Platform-as-a-service offerings provide increased flexibility too. Traditional server hosting companies usually insist on long-term rental agreements. Most cloud providers, however, let businesses tap into their resources for as long or short as they like. "Give them your credit card number and you're in business," Staten says. And you can scale that business as far and as quickly as you want.

Consider the case of New York City-based Animoto Productions. The digital media startup's Web site, animoto.com, converts still images into music videos. When membership on the site grew from 25,000 to 250,000 in four feverish days, its Amazon Web Services infrastructure automatically kept pace, adding some 3,300 servers worth of capacity on the fly.

Management muscle required

Meanwhile, few SMBs can afford the kind of data center management muscle that cloud vendors employ. Most cloud platforms have multiple layers of redundancy at every potential point of failure, not to mention armies of technicians on 24/7 standby. And though some companies worry about the dangers of sharing server space with strangers, security is usually tighter in the cloud too. "We can afford data protection and fault-tolerance solutions that are far more robust than most of our clients can [afford]," says Mike Eaton, CEO of Cloudworks, a provider of cloud-based desktop and server solutions in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Not that cloud platforms aren't without their drawbacks, of course. For one thing, while most cloud vendors offer service-level agreements (SLAs), they rarely promise-or achieve-the fabled "five 9s" of availability. Indeed, both Amazon EC2 and Google App Engine experienced highly publicized, multihour outages last June. Then there's the problem of vendor "lock in." Today, at least, portability between clouds is extremely limited, so migrating solutions from one cloud to another can be somewhere between a chore and an impossibility.

High dollars per hour

Even so, cloud platforms continue to attract users. "At the beginning of [2008], cloud computing was a neat new idea that only some early adopters were using," says technology evangelist Michael Sheehan of GoGrid, a cloud platform provider in San Francisco and a division of ServePath. "Now I believe it should be included side by side with any IT recommendation that an IT reseller or solution provider delivers."

And not just because customers like the new technology option, Sheehan and others say. The platform-as-a-service model has plenty to offer channel pros too. For starters, handing infrastructure management off to a cloud vendor enables solution providers to focus on more sophisticated tasks, like strategic IT consulting and customizing business applications.

"Those sorts of things tend to be higher dollar-per-hour opportunities," Eaton notes. Moreover, as adoption of cloud-based services accelerates, businesses are sure to need help integrating them, both with each other and with on-premise systems. "There's a pretty big gap in the market in terms of delivering that expertise," observes Kris Tuttle, director of research at analyst firm Research 2.0.

Leveraging the cloud could prove beneficial to managed service providers (MSPs) as well. Tapping into platform-as-a-service products enables MSPs to sell processing power and storage space along with the usual remote monitoring and backup services. SMBs are likely to find such an all-inclusive, "no capital option" tempting, says Brian Wolff, vice president of sales and marketing at BlueLock Co., a cloud provider with headquarters in Indianapolis.

Posing tough questions

Of course, once you've decided to make use of a cloud, you must next decide which one. There is a wide variety of cloud operators to choose from, ranging from corporate giants like Microsoft to smaller companies such as GoGrid and BlueLock. "Evaluate them carefully," Eaton of Cloudworks advises. "It's a really important relationship."

Start by comparing the cloud vendor's offerings to your needs. Some cloud platforms, such as Amazon's EC2, essentially offer access to a complete virtual server. "That gives you the greatest degree of freedom in how you configure your application and the operating system," says Forrester's Staten. Other clouds, such as Google App Engine, give you little to no control over OS selection and setup options, but are far simpler to use. "Anybody who has the basic skills to write a Python script can drop that onto Google App Engine, and they take care of everything else," Staten says.

Don't just assess a cloud vendor's technical capabilities, though. Pose the same tough questions you'd ask of any significant new partner. How long have they been in business, and how solid are they financially? What kind of support do they offer, and how strong is their SLA? How deep is their data center management know-how? And don't rely solely on the cloud provider for answers either. Ask an existing client or two how responsive the cloud vendor is to problems, and how often problems occur. "You really have to be careful about what people's claims are," Eaton warns.

Needless to say, once you've found a cloud you like, experiment with it in-house before putting customer solutions onto it. In fact, Research 2.0's Tuttle recommends moving your own company's infrastructure onto the cloud as a good initial step. "My goal would be to create a suite of cloud-based applications that I really understand [and] that I can make work in my customer environments," he says. Once you're ready to trust your clients' systems to the cloud, start with the least-critical ones first. "The ability to hand off something that has less risk associated with it is always a good way to approach it," says Wolff of BlueLock.

Ultimately, though, how you approach the cloud is less important than beginning your approach now. According to David Mitchell Smith, a vice president at Gartner Inc., channel pros without cloud computing skills could be at a competitive disadvantage as soon as 12 to 18 months from now, given the rapid rise in SMB demand. Tuttle shares that view. "The fact is that more and more services every day are going into the cloud," he says. "As a channel guy you need to get there, and you'd probably rather get there before your clients than after."

Amazon stresses cloud opportunities for developers

Cloud computing and opportunities it presents for application developers were stressed Wednesday by Amazon and a user of its cloud service during a presentation at the EclipseCon 2009 conference.

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Amazon at the Santa Clara, Calif. conference also revealed software enabling development of cloud applications via the Eclipse platform.

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With cloud computing, software providers need not worry about infrastructure issues, such as varying need for compute cycles and storage, said Peter Vosshall, vice president and distinguished engineer at Amazon. "We take care of that for you," Vosshall said.

The AWS (Amazon Web Services) platform features services such as Amazon's EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) for developers to build and deploy cloud applications and S3 (Simple Storage Service) for Internet-based storage.

AWS features a pay-as-you-go model, said Vosshall. "You pay for what you're using rather than having a whole datacenter full of servers," and paying for unused capacity, he said. Capabilities like bandwidth management, server hosting, financing, and negotiating long-term contracts become much simpler via cloud services, Vosshall stressed.

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"At the end of the day, developers, whether you're in a startup or working in a big enterprise, you want to deliver stuff," Vosshall said.

By resorting to supplying their own infrastructure, developers either can overestimate what they need or, even worse, underestimate, he said.

An official with AWS user SmugMug, an online video and photo-sharing site, cited successes with Amazon services. SmugMug processes more than 40 terapixels a day and has peaks at times, such as Christmas, which must be accommodated, said Don MacAskill, CEO at SmugMug.

"We need to scale up and down a lot," MacAskill said. SmugMug even enjoys such benefits as not having to depreciate and amortize hardware purchases, he said. Updating software is easy, he added. The only issue MacAskill raised pertaining to AWS was it takes a minute or two to add instances.

"We're huge fans of Amazon Web Services and wouldn't be able to build our business the way we have without it," MacAskill said.

An attendee at EclipseCon saw cloud computing as a boon for startups. "This definitely opens up all kinds of opportunities for small startups," said Mike Coon, senior technical staff member at consulting firm Proteus Technologies. "You don't have to worry about your infrastructure in your datacenter going down."

Developers at large enterprises also could benefit, he said. "I think it’s a great opportunity to prototype some ideas without having to interact with your own IT center and try to get dedicated resources for something you're trying to build," Coon said.

S3 and EC2 were launched in 2006 and have had a steep growth curve, Vosshall said. S3, for example, stored 800 million objects in 2006 and now stores 40 billion objects.

"At one point, we were spending more bandwidth to serve AWS customers than retail customers," he said.

Amazon also announced at the event the release of the initial version of AWS Toolkit for Eclipse, a plugin for Eclipse targeted for Java developers. "The goal of the toolkit is to make it easier to build applications in the cloud on the AWS platform," said Jason Fulghum, software development engineer at Amazon.

The toolkit leverages both the core Eclipse IDE and the Eclipse Web Tools Platform.