In addition to its Castanet Transmitter and Tuner set for deploying and accessing Java applications over the net (CI No 3,014), Marimba Inc is also offering a visual interface builder called Bongo. Marimba says Bongo can be used to create reusable interface building blocks and is claimed to allow developers to integrate components from multiple vendors into a single application. Bongo can also be used to create application and content channels for the Castanet environment and includes a set of graphical widgets. Marimba says Bongo could be used to build channels such as multimedia games that morph over time with new features; personalized stock management tools that continually monitor market trends; or a children’s bedtime book that updates nightly. The Transmitter is server software which sends applications or content over the net at the request of a Castanet Tuner. Bongo is written in Java and can be extended by adding in-house or third party Java applets but in future will accept components written to Java Beans APIs. Because Bongo supports HTML and other scripting, developers do not have to learn the whole Java language to be able to use Bongo, the comapny claims. The interface designer runs on Windows 95, NT and Solaris and uses Sun’s Java Development Kit 1.0.2. Betas are up on Marimba’s web site – production versions will ship at the same time as Castanet, by year-end, at from $500.
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