Fringewood
News Mac Chat #5.09
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Nubies' Corner
Java is an assembly language
developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.
It was designed to be usable by any processor platform (Windows, Mac
OS, Linux, Unix, et al) that has a JVM (Java Virtual Machine)
installed. In Mac, the the JVM is called MRJ (Mac OS Runtime for
Java), the current version being 2.2.6, which supports JDK (Java
Development Kit) 1.1.8. For Java 2 (JDK 1.3 and the soon to be
released 1.4), Mac OS X is required to support the JVM. Confusing?
I'm only winding up. It only gets worse, and with Windows XP and IE 6
planned by Microsoft on being released without a JDK due to the
revenge factor from the
Microsoft/Sun
Microsystems lawsuit, it's going to get a lot more confusing.
Because Java is the universal platform,
it ties all internet users together in an interactive environment,
allowing scalable server applications and client side applets to
perform many functions that couldn't be shared across platforms
before. Java is an assembly language, like C and C++ (which are
responsible for the majority of our applications). Unlike C and C++,
the same applet can run on Mac, PC, Unix, Linux, Amiga, and more. The
extent of the total sharing depends on the level of support the
processor gives to the JVM. It's an evolving language, so not all
processors stack up to the state of the art. The older machines are
at a definite disadvantage in running the latest interactive bells
and whistles.
There are definite pluses and minuses
to Java, and whether Java is enabled for the net is a personal
decision. And there are a lot of points of view about Java. Some
revel in its relative simplicity, other abhor it because it only
crashes hard. It knows no other way to crash. It is not allowed in
critical function use, such as life support, aircraft control, and
everywhere else. It can allow a Unix user to buy an item a Mac server
and be inventoried on an IBM, with sales agent remotes running
Windows laptops in perfect harmony without the need for translators.
It can allow a Mac user to play games with PC users on equal grounds
and sprout up chat rooms in which real human relations are formed
that would have otherwise gone without a chance of ever being. It
allows for potentially unknown intrusion on a user while online. It
crashes hard and can eat hard drives. It's the best object oriented
language around, easy to learn compared to C++. You never know if it
will crash you or not, and there are too many amateur programmers out
willing to take the chance on your particular machine not being able
to handle it. There is still a whole mess of the Microsoft tainted
Java out there that really messes with Macs every chance it possibly
gets.
Simply put, Java is the most passionate
platform on the digital scene today. Some love it, some hate it, some
fight it, some avoid it, some embrace it, and very few feel neutral
about it.
Java is growing as a language. As it
ages and expands, so its capacities. The expansion of the capacities
of OS X and OS X Server to include Java 2 as a main component is a
sign of commitment to Java by Apple. WebObjects 5.0, the cutting edge
of Apple server interactive environments, is providing Mac OS X
Server a set of 100% Java 2 tools for creating the best in server
applications and management today. The support for Java comes from
the FreeBDS foundation for OS X, which is the basic Unix foundation
as well. Mac and Java will work very well together in the future,
much better than in the past with Mac OS Classic.
But Microsoft has been the main
detractor to the use of Java as a bridge for all platforms. Because
Microsoft holds the upper hand in user systems, it does not wish to
have all the other platforms bridging to it. It has shown this time
and again in its monopolistic activities throughout recent years, and
it is reflective of Microsoft's fear that Java is the platform that
presents the greatest threat to its monopolistic pursuits. (This
approach to platform alienation was shown to be a great failure in
Japan with the advent of the internet, where manufacturers made sure
that their processors were not compatible with any other, and those
who did not conform lost great strides in the market in not
everything.) First, when first accepted as part of the system,
Microsoft alters Java so that only Microsoft software can run the
prolifically distributed modified code. Now that Sun won its court
battle with Microsoft, forcing a cessation of distribution of
modified Java code, Microsoft announces that Java will be suspended
from the Windows XP (Microsoft's marketing attempt to keep pace with
Mac OS X) and will not be part of the download for Internet Explorer
6, a separate multi-meg download that occurs when the first encounter
with Java occurs on the net. Needless to say, a lot of Windows-Java
designers are furious at the paranoid management at Microsoft, who
bears a phobia over engaging pure Java and pursuing the universal
bridge it offers.
Java is a major factor on the net that
empowers servers to act as shopping outlets, chat rooms, animation
engines, bells and whistles galore, server management systems, data
tracking, and more, and the creative uses on the net are growing
rapidly. The server application capacity of the net is still in
infancy, and it has a great potential for defining the centralized
net. The concept of the net is to allow for everyone in the world to
be able to communicate with everyone else, gain access to the tools
for processing, and post presentations with minimal terminal
cost.
There is a dichotomy in the computer
world, those who seek to connect to the net on a minimum budget, and
those who want muscle in their processors, the cost a "necessary
evil" (I'm guilty of the latter). The use of Java to offer remote
access to user processing, usually seen with a subscription for the
use at a rate far less than what a comparable desktop application
would cost, is a means to bring the power of the muscle machines
without the commercial box price sticker. It's easily scalable to
handle whatever loads come its way within machine limits, so
virtually anyone could use the service, as long as the bandwidth
holds up to the strain. Thus the low cost unit could gain a
considerable advantage with the muscle machines with their remote
capabilities, making the muscle on location unnecessary. Java has the
capacity to do this in the coming future. It's already seen in
digital image processing services for digital camera users, banner
generators for web use, and more. The tools are there to be found if
the search effort is affordable, and they will only grow as designers
find profitable uses.
Like C++, Java needs to grow from its
infancy and gain a few versions before it feels its full potential.
Until then, the passions rage.
3D Web Sites
Instead of the usual software talk, I'd
like to plug a few of my favorite 3D sites, since they are
essentially tools in my 3D arsenal. We all have our dailies, these
are some of mine. I'll even throw in a few hints on surviving in PC
3D country. Most of the sites I'll be listing here have plenty of
free 3D designer downloads.
A number of these sites represent an
online community of digital artists, helping each other with a rather
formidable array of software, sharing products, assembling a pool of
tools for the trade that all are seeking to master, because the task
is recognized as too large to be effectively tackled alone. Some of
the items are free (copyright restrictions are expected to be
observed), and some are available from the stores. Each artists
defines the rules of copyright. This is a growing phenomenon among
the 3D communities, one I noticed among POV-Ray users. To reach the
study of digital 3D design is a badge of honor in itself, because
there is so much that first be mastered. This generates a natural
mutual respect that makes the sites so attractive to the
designers.
All are well worth visiting.
A note about the links. On some of
these sites (*), you'll be required to register. I've never gotten
any spam that I could trace to any of these sites, so don't be afraid
of the process. If you have any love for 3D arts, you should join for
access to the galleries alone. You'll be rubbing elbows with some of
the best graphic artists in the world as well.
Renderosity*
If you deal with
Poser at all, you
have to know Renderosity. It is the largest deposit of free Poser
downloads on the net, exceeding 3000 free downloads for Poser. It's
also an artist environment, where ideas and meshes are shared,
tutorials are posted, chat rooms run often, galleries show results,
techniques are passed along. The site supports 2D software, Bryce,
Carrara/RayDream, Cinema 4D, Lightwave, Poser, video game production,
and PC only apps: 3DS Max, Rhino 3D, Truespace, and Vue d'Esprit. The
galleries are listed and accessed by artist. Artists are listed with
any volunteered information, such as email and websites. The web site
is a custom server application wonderland, full of highly functional
databases that make using it a very nice experience. The weak link is
the lack of knowledge of the users to make the most effective use of
it. (Not all 3D guru's are html certified, and a few too many believe
a little too firmly in "IE or nothing!", which all too often means
non-compliant code (W3C).)
PC 3D documents are for the most part
readily usable on a Mac. Poser is the main exception, but Poser
Maconverter handles just about every conversion from PC Poser to Mac
Poser except the .exe's ("PC only" is a Poser myth, spawned by PC
Poser designers who know practically nothing about Mac. It's rarely
true.)
3D
Commune*
This is the (estranged) sister site to
Renderosity (I speak in whispers). It was created by the same team of
designers who felt that they were not treated fairly by the
Renderosity owners and went to start anew. Being newer, it contains
libraries about a third the size of Renderosity, but it contains all
the function, being run on a very similar model of the software.
However, 3D Commune has made some changes and improvements, such as
creating chronological galleries with thumbnail preview access,
access pages are small Java applets, to name a couple. It has the
free area and store, with forums and support for 2D, Bryce, Carrara,
Poser, and Vue d'Esprit.
daz3D
and PFO
The daz3D server is the location
for most of the basic design work for Poser. As Zygote, this
Utah based firm pioneered the P3, P4, Millennium series, and many
other of the basic Poser models around which the majority of Poser
work conforms. Their store is the premiere Poser store with top
quality meshes, and they do sell quality third party designs. daz3D
has a weekly freebie, an installer and UV templates, for those on
their mailing list. The Poser Forum Online is another free
listing service for Poser designers, but the files are stored on the
daz3D server system, not remotely, so downloads are always certain if
the thumbnails can be seen. This solves a lot of the problems
associated with the two remote listing sites above, as many of the
current free sites are a royal pain when it comes to remote
downloading (bandwidth limits, redirected downloads to show those
advertising banners, Java snooping routines, remote download blocking
scripts, bad archiving (.zip's), bad html habits......) The biggest
problem is that it's still in beta and a tad quirky yet, though
improving.
3D
Cafe
A good general purpose web site for 3D
artists, trying their best to cater to the professional level. Lots
of free meshes, though not the easiest to browse, and many of the
free meshes are not the best quality, so they need to be tested
before celebrating the find. Still, lots of info and links and
downloads, one of the older 3D sites.
Google/Netscape
Poser listing
One of the best link pages for
Poser goodies. By no means complete, it has as wide a link
page as any for the 3D world. Between what you find at the sites
above and at Google, (stepping up a category will get you to other 3D
application links as well), you can find most of the active specialty
sites for 3D on the web.
(My
link page helps too.) Lots of goodies out there that don't show
on many searches.
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