RE: Developing with Java on a laptop

We used laptops in the past for Java development.  However, a very powerful
desktop is what all our developers prefer when using Visual Age for Java.  I
would recommend Win NT for development over Win 98 due to increase
stability.  If you are planning on using Visual Age here are some thing to
consider.

        1) The application is a memory hog.  The more memory the better.  We
are using 256Mb in our desktops (300Mhz) and the performance leaves a lot to
be desired.  We probably should have at least a 700 Mhz+ with 256Mb.
        2) If you are connecting to a VAJ repository over a telephone line
be prepared to wait.  Even on a 10-baseT this connection this is very slow. 
        3) The small size of a laptop window may make VAJ harder to use.
VAJ uses many windows with a large number of tabs.

        In terms of usefulness VAJ is the best product on the market.  If
you do any visual screen drawing VAJ in the proper hands will allow you to
put together complex panels with 30 or more components using layout managers
within 30 minutes with no resizing problems.  We have tried other Visual
editors such as Cafe' and JBuilder and were not able to do screens at
anywhere near the complexity of VAJ.  Also, the Java Bean program model is
very well integrated into Visual Age. The main draw back of VAJ is the IBM
mistakenly decided to make one bloated environment for everyone that works
on a single thread instead of having logical piece.  Thus, you pay a
performance price for what you don't use and it becomes hard to multitask
your work.

/Tim




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Martyn Oswin [SMTP:MartynOswin@Compuserve.com]
> Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2000 3:18 AM
> To:   JAVA400-L@midrange.com
> Subject:      Developing with Java on a laptop
> 
> Hi,
>  
> I need to develop my Java applications off site for a period of time and
> will be using a laptop with a dial up connection to an AS/400. What
> software configuration should I be using on the laptop:- Win NT or Win98?
> Also what about memory and disk capacity? In a month or so I will need to
> be using VisualAge or a similar IDE, will this function OK on both
> platforms?
>  
> 
> Regards
>  
> Martyn Oswin
>  
> Business: 0115 9230140
> Mobile    : 0378 833290
> E_Mail    : MartynOswin@CompuServe.Com <mailto:MartynOswin@CompuServe.Com>
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