Java Programming with Symantec Café
By Chris Baron
Originally intended for the consumer-electronics market, Java -- the object-oriented, platform-independent, client/server programming language developed by Sun Microsystems -- has, among the pundits at least, become the future of the Net. Boasting a true object-oriented architecture, and without the worst deficiencies of C++, Java has all of the attributes it needs to live up to the hype and become the foundation for true Internet applications. Until now, part of what has kept Java from really taking off has been a lack of heavy-duty development tools. The text-based, command-line compiler and debugger distributed by Sun with the initial Java release just won't cut it for anything much beyond animating little dancing characters. Café from Symantec represents the first of a wave of products, derived from industrial-strength C++ programming suites, to provide the same level of heavy-duty support for Java development.
What's in the Box
The small box contains a CD-ROM, a 16-page getting-started guide, and a page of customer-registration information. Café requires either Windows 95 or Windows NT 3.51, at least 8 MB of RAM (16 MB recommended), and a CD-ROM drive. The software runs within what Symantec calls an Integrated Development & Debugging Environment (IDDE), which includes all the functions you'll need for editing, compiling, and debugging Java programs. A pair of wizard-like modules called AppExpress and ProjectExpress help you create the shell of either an applet, suitable for use with a Web browser, or a standalone application.
