Windows testing specialist NuMega Technology Inc is targeting the Java and component application development market with its repackaged and refashioned debugging tool, SoftICE. The Nashua, New Hampshire-based company says there is currently little support for actual mainstream development. SoftICE is already on the market, but has been mainly used by device driver developers, says the firm. However, in recent months, it has found more and more Java developers looking for some way to debug systems. The problem you have with Java is that the majority of developers will not develop in isolation. Components will originate from a variety of sources, including C++ and Java, so when you put them together systems fall over, says Peter Huish, NuMega’s European Sales Director. The benefit of SoftICE is that it drills right down to the kernel, irrespective of what language a component is written in at a higher level, says Huish. According to the company, SoftICE kicks into action just before the Windows Alert box pops up, and lists all services that have been called and transactions that have and are being carried out, so developers can view important system state information. It also performs kernel-mode debugging; has the ability to debug all Win32, Win16, and DOS applications, as well as device drivers, interrupt handlers, and the operating system; and enables developers to monitor and debug multiple programs and drivers simultaneously. Meanwhile, NuMega is readying a new version of BoundsChecker, its error detection technology for Windows and NT development, for Visual Basic, which is scheduled for release in July.
