NEWS Software
%Box of delights for Java
developers
Java developers are, on one hand, lucky
Software News
to have so many development tools and
resources at their disposal. The other
hand weighs heavy though, with the
%KDE 3.1 release delayed  showstopper bug found
need to install and configure all of these
If you are a keen KDE user and have incident of a bug was reported, but packages to figure out which one is most
been following the predicted timelines this proved to be more widespread, capable of handling the task you require.
set, then many of you would have been with similar incidents of this problem If only someone could package them all
expecting to have had the chance to play appearing throughout the code. up into one development distribution to
with what should have been the latest The call to halt the version release take this misery away.
release of the KDE desktop environment. came just days before it was due to Yes, you ve guessed it, that is exactly
It was hoped that the latest KDE be distributed, when it became apparent what EJB solutions has done with their
release would have been launched mid- that the bug had worked its way Out-of-the-Box product, which will auto-
December 2002. Initially, a single into many other parts of the code and, matically install over 50 Open Source
unfortunately, became a showstopper. packages, sensibly configured so they
While the code could have been are ready to run in a matter of minutes.
combed through in about a week, this You also get QuickStart project guides
would have put the launch much too and samples of Java applications, com-
close to the holiday season so the deve- plete with source code. This would also
lopment team reached the pragmatic make for a useful system on which to
view to hold off until 8th January. learn more about programming with
If you are still a keen KDE user, then projects like JBoss, Tomcat or MySQL.
the excitement can start all over again, While EJB does offer a free to down-
because the new release date for version load community edition just for Linux
3.1 should be just a few days after you users, the keener or more professionally
read this. Fingers crossed. % based of you will probably want to take
http://www.kde.org/info/3.1.html one of the chargeable packages, which
start from just US $19.95 (Ł12.75 or Euro
19.75 approx.) %
%EiffelStudio for Business development software
http://www.ejbsolutions.com/
Eiffel may not be the most common running on different platforms, be
programming language in use today, but it a Unix, Windows or embedded system.
%RealNetworks community
the continued development of Eiffel Continued tweaking has made im-
initiative
Studio, which has just hit version 5.2, provements to the debugging system and
means people must be using it. now the developer has the opportunity Helix is a community of independent
Efficiency in use is Eiffel s claim to fame to call upon external tools from within developers who are being given a huge
and for some it is now the language of EiffelStudio. helping hand from RealNetworks,
choice when developing business- Those that have yet to try Eiffel are makers of RealPlayer, which comes with
oriented applications for the small invited to download a Free Edition of most boxed sets of Linux. This
to medium size company. This efficiency this IDE from the web site. % community is looking to develop an
is made more apparent when you http://www.eiffel.com/ open platform for the delivery of digital
have consideration for the media, such as the streaming of audio
development of multiple and video.
platforms, which are also RealNetworks has handed over more
business critical. code, this time for their  DNA Producer
This latest release leaves package, to the community to further
the Linux developer with a help in this goal. Back in October 2002,
faster compiler. The GUI, they released the  DNA Client software.
having been redesigned, This initial release has made a real
now reflects Eiffel s cross- impact on the community project. Now,
platform nature and aids more than 5,000 developers have
developers in the creation registered with the Helix project. Many
of applications that will hands make light work. %
work in an identical fashion http://www.helixcommunity.org
even though they are http://www.realnetworks.com/
6 February 2003 www.linux-magazine.com
NEWS Software
%Desktop Linux advances %ISO-compliant database
management
December saw the release of updated ing control of the amount of time a
versions of ShaoLin Aptus, a simplified particular user has access to a machine. ThinkSQL is a relational database
Linux workstation deployment and Where machines are scarce, the last management system designed for
management solution, which comes in thing anyone needs is someone hogging modern hardware and an equally
three flavors. resources. modern OS, like Linux.
ShaoLin Aptus 2.0 Small Business is This functionality is applied to the The developer s aim is to make
designed for the small to medium sized user s Linux distribution of choice. ThinkSQL as fully compliant to the ISO
enterprise where ease of Linux deploy- ShaoLin Aptus has full support and SQL standard as practically possible, and
ment is paramount. integration with versions of Linux from their most recent beta version release,
A remote bootup system means that Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE and United which is free to download from the link
client systems can be configured and Linux systems. % below, takes us all one step closer to this
managed with just a few mouse clicks http://www.shaolinmicro.com/ ideal situation.
from a central control. The current features for version
The Professional version 0.4.09, which is still a beta, include
builds on the Small Native APIs for Open Standards, ODBC
Business version and now protocols, as you would expect, but also
includes the necessary have built in support for Borland s
scalability required of an Delphi and Kylix.
enterprise system. The multi-threaded server has support
The Schools version for server-side cursors with hold and
adds to this yet again, in- return options. %
corporating a Workstation http://www.thinksql.co.uk/
Booking system. It is this
which will allow a school
%The Linux Test Project
to maximize the use of
their machines by allow- Everybody wants stable, reliable and
robust Linux distributions. They also
want similar featured packages to go
%FOSDEM meeting in February
with them.
While it is so very important for vendors give details of the Firebird project and With so much development going
to meet customers at such events David Axmark will talk about MySQL. ahead in the world of Linux, proving just
like the LinuxWorld Expo to be held So much needs to be crammed into the this has become a headache. Where
in New York this month, the value of two days that many of the lectures run there is a hole, you can expect some
bringing developers together is more simultaneously, so subject themes have Open Source project to fill it, and so it is
so. FOSDEM, the Free Open Source had to be set up to try and maximize with the Linux Test Project.
Developers European Meeting, is one of what people can get to. In joint partnership with SGI, IBM and
the most successful events to do just This year s FOSDEM lecture themes the Open Standards Development Labs,
this, with its 3rd meeting being held will concentrate on the development of this project is developing test suites to
in Brussels over a busy weekend of Open Source software for the Desktop, put the Linux kernel and closely tied
February 8 9 2003. Education, Multimedia and Toolkit applications under close scrutiny, to
Though it is described as a European Software, as well as the previously- show that those main tenants hold true.
meeting, many developers from the mentioned database development. The goal is to automate as much of
world over will make the effort to attend. In previous years the nature of the this testing process as possible. In doing
Last year, just to pick two names out event has been pretty much a lecture- so, it is hoped to speed the process up
at random, David Wheeler came from style event, it looks as if the organizers and to minimize errors.
North America to tell packed halls about are keen to add to this for this year, and Being Open Source, obviously there is
secure Linux programming, while include a stream of practical tutorial an encouraging welcome to the Linux
Miguel de Icaza came from South events following on from last year s community to run these tests for
America to tell us more about Ximian GnomeMeeting demonstration. themselves and to look at, and possibly
and development tools and libraries like If this has sparked some interest, improve upon, the testing suite.
Bonobo and Mono. do not forget to contact your local Recently added to the range of tests in
Speakers are still being confirmed, so Linux User Group, many of these will the suite of programs, take a closer look
full details are not yet available as we be arranging group bookings, so con- at sigset() and sigaction() interactions
write, but we can say, for those that have siderable savings could be made on both and improvements to the scheduling
a passion for databases and database the travel and accommodation. % tests. %
design, Ann Harrison will be along to http://www.fosdem.org/ http://ltp.sourceforge.net/
7 February 2003 www.linux-magazine.com