Welcome to Tech Focus
Tech Focus puts the spotlight on the technologies and challenges of Java development. We offer a new examination of the promises and pitfalls of Java technology.

November 25, 1998
JDK 1.2 does JPEG
by Benoît Marchal
Amid all the enhancements to the new Java Development Kit is a little-noticed JPEG codec. Here's the low-down on what this mighty graphics mite can add to your Web development efforts.

November 19, 1998
Use Java to internationalize your HTML
by Jason Bloomberg
With i18n, you can do much more than replace words in English with words in other languages -- even in non-roman character sets.

November 13, 1998
Not just dreaming of Jini
by Kieron Murphy
ObjectSpace is stirring things up with news that Jini support in its Java development platform is on the way. But the cutting-edge firm has other breakthroughs in place in its software today.

September 8, 1998
Unwrapping Java packages
by Alexander Day Chaffee
Working with packages in Java can be a pain. This article will help you get the most out of the way Java handles groups of classes -- including how products on the market may help or hinder.

August 31, 1998
Privileged code in Java: Why the API changed from JDK1.2beta3 to JDK1.2beta4
by Gary McGraw and John Viega
This article by leading experts in the field of network software security will shed light on a major change that was recently made to the JDK 1.2 API for privileged code blocks.

August 17, 1998
Java and Python: a perfect couple
by Guido van Rossum
Programming and scripting languages are supposed to complement one another. The open-source scripting language Python is proving ideal for the cross-platform Java programming language, and the new JPython blend of the two may be the next "insanely great" tool for Web developers.

July 20, 1998
Java for Smalltalk Programmers
by Chris Laffra
One of the original object-oriented programming languages, Smalltalk has a loyal user-base; but the industry is increasingly moving toward Java for commercial development of Web apps. However, if you know the one, it's fairly easy to make the transition to the other.

July 20, 1998
Distributed object support in JDK 1.2
by Steve Greig
With the release of the latest beta of the Java Development Kit, we revisit RMI and CORBA to see what's new.

July 13, 1998
Confessions of a ten-year-old developer
by Elliot Onn
In the popularity war among advanced technologies such as Java, elementary schools aren't exactly a target market. But maybe they should be. Hear how one fifth-grade developer views the industry he calls his own.

June 29, 1998
How secure is the Java Wallet?
by Dr. Mark La Due
All the talk of late is how electronic commerce is booming. But many consumers believe the Internet lacks the proper security for transactions. Sun's response to this roadblock is the Java Wallet, but is it the answer or a bill of goods?

June 22, 1998
A postcard from Europe
by Benoit Marchal
In an increasingly global market, Java success stories no longer come from Silicon Valley alone. Here's what's happening across the big pond.

June 15, 1998
Visual J++ 6.0: the Microsoft Java environment
by Lowell E. Thomas
Take an in-depth look at Microsoft's new release of its Visual J++ Java development tool which comes with all the fanfare we've all come to expect from the Redmond software giant. Is the hype justified?

June 1, 1998
Sybelius Brown: code-slinger for hire
by Adrian Scott . com
Follow our fearless hero, Sybelius Brown, through the trials and tribulations faced in the typical day of a developer.

May 25, 1998
The Hotspot virtual machine
by Bill Venners
Sun's next-generation Java virtual machine (JVM), Hotspot, promises to make Java "as fast as C++." Here's a sneak peek at the details from the author of Inside the JVM.

May 11, 1998
The Java Plug-in: using the newest versions of Java with your old browser
by Gerry Seidman
Take an inside look at Sun's free new mechanism which augments the speed and functionality of the VM independently of the browser.