BulletProof Corp will release the 2.0 cut of its JDesignerPro Java development and deployment tool this week. The new version has a visual object design environment that uses relational positioning, rather than absolute positioning of objects. This means, according to BulletProof director Scott Miliner, that applications written using JDesignerPro can be deployed on multiple systems, as absolute positioning of objects is not the same across Unix, Windows and Macintosh systems. Absolute positioning of objects positions objects is in relation to each other, rather than at a fixed point. Miliner said other integrated development environments, including Symantec Corp’s Cafe are not fully portable because fields would overlap as applications are moved across systems. Miliner said the object model also exposes the methods in each Java component, using the JavaBeans programmimg interfaces, so they can be more easily linked together to create applications. The Los Gatos, California company, mainly staffed by ex-Apple people, prides itself on having a deployment, rather than merely a development environment in JDesignerPro. It includes an authentication structure being built into JDesigner-designed applications. BulletProof will also release a help-desk application it has written that sits on top of the environment. JDesignerPro 2.0 costs $500 for the standard development tool and $1,000 for the deployment server product.
