Hi John,

I bookmarked Rekall and will take a look when I can.

I would really like to get everything together under Linux, so all my evaluations are on the Linux platform. It would benefit me if Microsoft would go cross-platform and port VFP to Linux, but that may never happen.

I've taken a look at NetBean, Eclipse, and javabeans which are all free.


NetBean seems to have more features and a GUI, while eclipse has more plugin, but is lacking a GUI.

Netbeans is still very raw, but indicates Sun's is going back to a component based IDE within its product. Netbeans is in beta, but looks promising, as it will hide the Java API and classes from the user. The user can assemble large Apps in about the same way they are assemble in VFP, so knowing the classes is not as important, as as long as the component can find the j2sdk paths.

Javabean consists of a builder tool kit (eg btk) which is really designed for the software companies to use in programming their IDE offerings. It also includes a builder app where apps can be assembled from components, but its in beta with almost no doc. Also, check the Sun forum and nobody really can answer even the simple questions yet, like how does the javabeans builder work.

The output of the javabean is save to an xml file, which is opened by the builder IDE by browsing to the xml file, which comes up in the builder as an assembled form. This begs the question of how do you run an app outside the javabeans builder. It seem there are other tools necessary that can be used to parse the xml file into a jar files that can be executed by Java, but I'm not sure.


I haven't tried Java studio one in a while. Sun incorporated the open source's NetBean IDE and offered it as the IDE for its sdk, but later spun that off into Sun Studio One, which is commercial now at around $600 or $700. It's really kind of look to me like Sun took an open source product (e.g. NetBean) and stole it for commercial sale under the name of Sun Studio One. Hummm.

I've download a product name "idea" and will give it a try. It's commercial (e.g around $500) and, I just downloaded it today.

Would you recommend JBoss as a good products. Has it won any awards like LinuxWorld Readers choice awards, etc. I guess I will eventually take a look at it.


Over the past four or five years, Sun has been losing Market Share. On the Hardware font it has being beaten up by the X86 computers that have evolved to offer workstation class power.

Sun is also getting bitten in the butt on it software. Solaris has been hurt by cheap Linux that is really catching on and gobbling up market. Also, its Java language is getting it from Dot Net and mono, so Sun has taken a beating from all sides.

Sun finally saw the light an reinstated Solaris on X86 computers, and seem to be getting back on the right track. Java on Solaris may be the next thing, but who knows?

Regards,

LelandJ