IBM's Rational eases Java development

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
IBM's software group is getting ready to unveil a Java development tool, the fruit of its acquisition of Rational Software, that promises to make it easier for programmers to build custom business applications. The tool, called IBM Rational Rapid Developer, is expected to be introduced on Tuesday as part of a barrage of software announcements from IBM. It is constructed so that once a programmer has designed a Java application using its modelling component, it automatically generates corresponding Java code -- relieving developers of the task of hand-building the code. IBM calls this approach "architected RAD", or architected rapid application development, and claims to be one of the first companies to espouse the programming method. The product is the first significant announcement from the Rational division since the modelling tools company was acquired by IBM last December and integrated into the tech giant's software group. It is set for launch at IBM's Software Symposium in Munich, Germany, this week. With the new product, the Armonk, New York company is aiming to accelerate the application-coding process and to lower the skill level required to build Java applications. In particular, it is intended to help write applications based on the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) standard, which is typically used to design back-end business applications. Software companies often find it difficult and costly to recruit and hold onto highly skilled programmers. Rational Rapid Developer marks a departure for IBM, which until now has focused primarily on other phases of the application development process. In addition to the application-modelling tool, the Rational division sells a tool for tracking changes in different versions of source code. Executives said that IBM's Rational Rapid Developer will be sold as a complement to WebSphere Studio, the company's existing Java-based development product. In a team of programmers, for instance, the more skilled members might use WebSphere Studio to build an application while those not expert in J2EE might use IBM's Rational Rapid Developer. The new tool can generate code for IBM's WebSphere Java server software and other J2EE-compliant application servers. Other companies have also been pursuing simpler Java-based tools. Sun Microsystems, for one, has said it is working on a forthcoming product that is aimed at wooing away developers using Microsoft's Visual Basic programming language, which is considered easier to use than Java. The development tool announcement is one of several planned at the Munich conference. IBM is also expected to release its DB2 Information Integrator product for searching multiple data sources, an effort to add industry-specific features to its WebSphere Business Integration line, and to unveil a stripped-down email client for its corporate portal software. In other news from the Rational division, the group is entering the market for testing tools with the introduction Monday of IBM Rational XDE Tester, a Java-specific tool designed to test whether an application is bug-free. It is designed to work in conjunction with products of Eclipse, an open-source development tool effort spearheaded by IBM. Both IBM's Rational Rapid Developer and IBM's Rational XDE Tester are expected to be available at the end of June this year.
ZDNet UK's Developer News Section delivers the latest headlines together with the best UK jobs, right to your browser. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

2 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

2 hours ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

3 hours ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

4 hours ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

4 hours ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

5 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

5 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Moley

For Gnome 2 die-hards, it is possible to add icons to the bottom panel (or top top panel, if you prefer) which provide the exact Gnome 2...

6 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
ramwellian

Your comments would seem pretty naive and immature. Your 'solution' appears to be, "gee, let's all just give in to the hackers and give them...

6 hours ago by ramwellian on Cloud computing security: no more oxymoron?
BugStalker

"Interesting thought ... If you installed Win7 as a dual boot on a machine that previously only had Linux, and it wrecked your Linux installation,...

6 hours ago by BugStalker on Windows 7 Declares War on GRUB
whs001

This is an excellent summary of Ubuntu and Mint and the interface differences between them. Most such articles take a very partisan position for...

6 hours ago by whs001 on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Moley

@ewallace. Not so clear. Anyone can obtain the text, for example from here http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2379. I support ACTA so long as it and...

7 hours ago by Moley on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
45283

I think WinRT is fantastic. I just wish it was an option for people that didn't want to go through Microsoft's App Store with its attendant...

10 hours ago by 45283 on Why Windows 8 needs architectural hygiene for WOA
Burn-IT

Nine people? £30m? Who's back pocket is that lot going in? And IF they say it is for new buildings, what about all the ones the government has...

11 hours ago by Burn-IT on Police set to launch three £30m e-crime hubs
ewallace

Just to be clear, nobody knows what is in the text of ACTA, here is a photograph of the text of ACTA http://twitpic.com/8h9iju as submitted to the...

11 hours ago by ewallace on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
fgvrg56

Unfortunately main issue is that ASUS is refusing to accept that they make some mistake on this version of asus Transformer prime. 1 - GPS sensor...

12 hours ago by fgvrg56 on Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime Wi-Fi & GPS problems?
Ben Woods

@Marcus A fair question. Just talked with Archos which said it was working on an announcement for next week....

13 hours ago by Ben Woods on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
Marcus Karlsson

Any update on this, considering the claimed "first week of February"?

14 hours ago by Marcus Karlsson via Facebook on Archos confirms G9 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule
apexwm

Bill Goodrich : Just as al_langevin pointed out, with Windows Server 2008 there is no Services for Macintosh anymore. It's gone, not available....

23 hours ago by apexwm on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility
txtrainguy

Replying to an old topic that I'm currently facing with my CEO (who is on a Mac). Our servers are primarily Windows Servers, office is about...

1 day ago by txtrainguy on Windows Server 2008 drops the ball for Mac compatibility

Latest in Application Development