Application development tools and database supplier Progress Software Corp has help at hand for developers spending hours trying to debug internet applications, with the launch of ProtoSpeed, a distributed object debugger designed specifically for internet applications. Progress says the big problem for people developing for the internet is trying to identify and isolate errors among multiple components which may typically include Java, HTML ActiveX and other protocols. ProtoSpeed claims to be the first debugger which handles distributed internet objects, and picks up where single workstation error detection and debugging tools leave off. It is written in Java, and supports all the major internet protocols including HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP3 and IMAP4. It enables simultaneous debugging of Java objects either locally or remotely, and whether or not the source code is available. The Network Event Manager, on which Progress has a patent pending, enables access to the distributed components, and offers developers using Visual Basic or Visual J++ the opportunity to debug protocol interactions between components written in any language, with or without source code. ProtoSpeed is available immediately on Windows NT or higher and Windows 95 or higher. Normally priced $995, it is on offer until December at $495.
