see comments below
At 06:09 PM 12/2/99 -0600, you wrote:
>This comment is from the end-user's point of view, modified by
>conversations with programers relative to my own project design.
>
>Just having SQL and Java will not be adequate to provide an
>ergonomically efficient interface, adequate security, and
>efficient data management, based on what I've seen and been
>told.
>
>Ergonomics: The new data system for airmen medical examinations
>uses Oracle underneath and Java on top. We airman medical examiners
>come in using 128-bit encrypted browsers (Netscape or Explorer),
>and enter airmen's data via an interface. The data entry
>capabilities are clumsy; data presentation from the database is
>slow and limited, and error-checking of the input data is essentially
>nil.
I don't know of any reason based on the Java language why the data entry
needs to be clumsy or should have only limited error checking. The Swing
GUI components are quite useful and flexible, and you should be able to
code pretty much anything you want for the error checking (as with C++ or
other languages).
>Sophisticated post-processing of data by a Java application is
>impossible.
I don't understand this at all - I see no basis for the statement.
>
>I was startled and frustrated by the limitations of this new software,
>and was able to speak personally to the developer about its limitations.
>In a long, cordial conversation, he convinced me that he is pushing
>Java to its limits, given that he can't restrict users to use *either*
>Nscape or Xplrr.
To me this sounds more like poor programming, or at least less than full
utilization of the Java language capabilities, rather than any inherent
limitations in Java itself. There are some issues with differences between
the 2 browsers, but the Java plug-in can work with both and allows both of
them to execute Java applets written with the latest versions of the JDK
(currently 1.2.2 and 1.3 beta, at least for Windows - Linux is a little bit
behind right now in this regard).
As far as security, I haven't worked with this to any extent yet in Java,
but the language includes a Security API. It is my understanding that the
Java security model is fairly robust and sophisticated. I can't see that
this would be a problem.
>
>In my own project, the programmer is using ZOPE between the browser
>and the SQL (PostgreSQL) database precisely because is it able to
>(easily) negotiate the functionality that is tedious with SQL,
>laborious with PERL, and impossible with Java. Whether ZOPE is the
>best solution I am not qualified to say, but I have been persuaded
>that middleware is necessary.
>
ZOPE seems pretty capable as an application server, as far as I can see,
but I don't think it's exactly comparable to Java. And Java also has
middleware/application server components available as part of J2EE,
including Enterprise JavaBeans, JSP, Servlets, etc.
>Perhaps Greg Wettstein can correct my misconceptions about this, or
>elaborate accurately on whatever truth is in this note.
>
>Dan Johnson md
>
>
I would be interested in hearing additional comments from others.
Rob
