News
Issue #2002 - 39 (October 2002)
(Updated Oct. 15, 2002)

INFRASTRUCTURE, PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Simplicity For Mobile Servers With Legacy Rejuvenation Module

New York, NY, The official release of Simplicity Enterprise: Rejuvenation Edition was announced today by Data Representations, Inc. Simplicity Enterprise: Rejuvenation Edition is the only cross-platform, all-J2EE solution for integrating legacy applications with modern application servers. When combined with the extended version of Simplicity for Mobile Devices, developers can aggregate just about any backend disparate data and assemble it for a J2EE server. These new server side applications will communicate XML responses and requests via http to robust applications that are written for MIDP clients with Simplicity for Mobile Devices, which includes an XML Transaction Caching Engine.

The Legacy Rejuvenation Module is part of the Simplicity Enterprise development toolset. "Simplicity is very different than other legacy tools that require using an expensive proprietary server to run the repurposed applications," said Sal Danna, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "Our competitors may claim to offer open architecture, but their technology is actually based on proprietary servers. On the other hand, our technology is based on industry standard J2EE, giving users a choice of applications servers such as WebSphere, WebLogic, and Sun One. Many corporate IT professionals claimed that the ability to unify disparate data sources that included legacy and JDBC and open APIs was a very serious concern. Integrating repurposed legacy data with Simplicity for Mobile Devices removes many of the barriers for investing in mobile wireless let alone the cost savings. The Simplicity solution eliminates the cost and time for re-engineering the entire backend system." 

Simplicity Enterprise produces scalable Enterprise applications based on J2EE standards. Simplicity uses its own embedded server to ease development. When the application is compete, it is deployable to any J2EE server such as BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere or any J2EE Servlet Container such as JRun and Tomcat. Simplicity Enterprise: Rejuvenation Edition allows corporations to aggregate data from multiple back-end data sources including green-screen legacy applications, JDBC/ODBC and third party applications via the open API module in order to create Java server side applications.

With the extended version of Simplicity for Mobile Devices, developers can create robust applications for PDAs such as the PALM OS, Pocket PC, phone or pager using the Java Technology-enabled MIDP API. This special version of Simplicity for Mobile Devices integrates a MIDlet with the SERVlet. This version includes the Simplicity XML Transaction Caching Engine for http communications. The XML Transaction Caching Engine eliminates the need to write a custom parser that accepts and sends XML data communication between a server and handset. It automates the transfer of data between the server and mobile device. First it parses XML data and maps it to the integrated MIDP application. Then it caches requests to the server in the handset if the server isn't available. It also caches XML responses from the server in the handset if the server isn't available. This combination of features, in most cases, eliminates the need for a micro database on the handset and also eliminates most synchronizing issues. The Transaction Engine also features a flexible licensing tool for the management of billing models for the benefit of carriers, developers and ASPs.

Legacy code, written in Cobol, RPG, and other legacy languages, is prohibitively expensive to rewrite for modern application architectures, and is often trusted by businesses to run mission critical services. Simplicity Enterprise: Rejuvenation Edition preserves this investment through a completely non-invasive rejuvenation process. The rejuvenation components communicate to the legacy application through the application's user-interface protocol, automatically capturing data and propagating changes. The legacy application continues to operate in its native environment, unaware that anything has changed. By not interfering with a single line of the original source code, Simplicity Enterprise: Rejuvenation Edition ensures that critical business processes remain untouched. All new code created for interacting with the legacy application is written in pure Java that conforms to industry-standard, open programming interfaces. This ensures the open, multi-vendor, cross-server interoperability of the new applications.

Simplicity Tools are very easy to use and learn. By dragging and dropping graphical modules, which often require no coding, developers can quickly proto-type integrated server-side and client side applications. The source code output by Simplicity is completely non-proprietary, cross-platform, and written in 100% Java.

For more information: http://www.datarepresentations.com

MobileInfo Comments and Advisory:  This software fills an important need in the market. It appears well-designed. We welcome Simplicity to the toolkit that mobile application developers should have if they are in mobile Java developer environment..

Note: This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers should take appropriate caution in developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology architectures.  All trademarks used in this summary are the property of their respective owners.