IBM Corp is claiming that it has come up with the first full Java development environment for large scale Web-based applications in the shape of VisualAge for Java, a variant of its existing C++ and Smalltalk development tools. The beta test version of the tool turned up at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco this week, where IBM also revealed plans to include Sun Microsystems Inc’s JavaBeans component framework into future versions of the product. IBM subsidiary, Taligent Inc also weighed in with its new WebRunner toolkit for developing JavaBeans and Web server applications. WebRunner includes a set of class libraries, utilities and wizards for developers, and incorporates the JavaBean migration assistance tool that enables programmers to transform existing Microsoft Corp ActiveX components into JavaBeans to create so-called Pure Java software. IBM believes that the addition of JavaBeans will mean that corporate developers will have access to reusable JavaBeans components created by any tool from any vendor, regardless of the language that the component is developed in. VisualAge for Java will also see the introduction of the BeanMachine, an authoring tool previously named AppletAuthor, that will enable non-programmers to create multimedia Java, special effects and the for Web sites without the need to write any Java code. Pricing has not yet been announced, but a standard edition of VisualAge for Java will be on general release in June for Windows 95, NT and OS/2, with a professional version and a Unix version expected soon after. BeanMachine will be out shortly and WebRunner will be released in the summer.
