Aonix announces the release of a comprehensive new binding for the Sun Java Developer's Kit (JDK) version 1.1.x. Available now at no charge, the new binding covers all published API's in JDK 1.1.2, allowing developers to fully exploit the power of the Aonix ObjectAda development environment in creating applications for the Java Virtual Machine. ObjectAda is the first and only multi-lingual Java solution, allowing developers to target either the JVM or the native operating system from the same source language and using the same tools.

"ObjectAda is unique to the Java community in that no other development environment supports the creation of applets and JVM applications from a source language other than Java. It is also unique to the Ada community because no other Ada environment supports development for both the JVM and native operating systems," said David Wood, Aonix Product Manager. "As a result, for the first time developers can combine the proven software engineering power of Ada 95 with the unprecedented execution portability of Java. The result is high performance, easily deployable client-server applications with a highly maintainable shelf life."

The new binding, available for free download from the Aonix web site during an extended beta period, not only covers the entire JDK API, but also an enhanced version of the java2ada binding generator. The java2ada utility makes it easy to intermix Java and Ada sources into a single applet or JVM application by producing Ada bindings from Java class files. ObjectAda Java capabilities are based on AppletMagic technology created by Intermetrics, Inc., and is designed to be fully interoperable with other off-the-shelf Java products and tools. In addition to supporting the full JDK, ObjectAda integrates with any other Java API, produces and uses Java zip files, works with JAR files and Java Beans, generates 100% Pure Java byte code compatible with any Java Just-in-Time (JIT) compiler, and is even supported by the Microsoft Visual J++ debugger. ObjectAda also works seamlessly with Marimba products including Bongo.

The JDK binding makes available Java protected operations and fields in the API's, which were not available in the original AppletMagic 1.0 release. The binding also supports a more "Ada 95" style of naming than was possible with the JDK 1.0 binding.

"We believe that ObjectAda provides the best solution for Java developers who must focus on large-scale applications and long-term maintainability," Wood said. "With many millions of lines of application code deployed in some of the most rigorous environments in the world, ObjectAda provides the basis for flexible, object-oriented applications for native, JVM, and real-time targets, all from within the powerful and safe framework of Ada 95." Aonix technology has been used in such diverse applications as banking, flight control systems, rockets, space station controls, high speed rail, and nuclear power plant controls.

ObjectAda, first released in September 1995, is validated according to the ISO standard Ada 95 language definition. Ada 95 is the first and still only internationally standardized object-oriented programming language. ObjectAda was the first validated Ada 95 environment for Windows 95, Windows NT, SPARC/ Solaris, and HP/ HP-UX development platforms, and the first to target the Java Virtual Machine. ObjectAda is also the first validated Windows-hosted environment for the development of Intel and PowerPC based embedded and real-time applications.

In addition to providing the finest available support for the Ada language, ObjectAda also serves as the ideal multi-lingual platform, in allowing the integration of C, C++, Java, and other languages for creating complex component-based applications.

The complete ObjectAda package includes comprehensive platform-specific development tools, including graphical user interface tools, debuggers, database access technologies, and configuration control. ObjectAda is fully supported within the Aonix Software through Pictures (StP) object modeling technology for UML, OMT, and Booch notations, and supports such industry standards as Posix, Win32, Motif, CDE, JavaVM, OLE, MFC, ODBC, OpenGL, and CORBA.

With prices beginning at $245, ObjectAda is the most cost effective and most widely used Ada development environment available, covering thousands of users across the world.

About Aonix

Aonix, with headquarters in San Francisco, is a $75 million company in the OO tools market and one of the top 50 software companies in the world. The firm was formed in November with the merging of two market leaders: Interactive Development Environments, Inc. (IDE), a veteran player in the modeling, analysis and design tools market, and Thomson Software Products, a diversified tools company whose products and extensive service portfolio span the implementation and deployment phases of high-end software development. Aonix currently has over 80 salespeople and 80 consultants worldwide, serving Thomson's 20,000 installations and half a million users, and IDE's 18,000 users worldwide. The merger positions Aonix to offer a new end-to-end OO development platform for even greater penetration into both the commercial and technical markets. Aonix can be reached at 800-97-AONIX.

NOTE: AppletMagic is a trademark of Intermetrics, Inc. Visual J++ is a trademark of Microsoft. Java and 100% Pure Java are trademarks of Sun. Bongo is a trademark of Marimba.

Source: Aonix