Core Technologies

all articles    •    1998   1997    1996    1995    1994    •

February 1998	•    Real-Time Queries in the Enterprise .  New forms of persistent queries are necessary to handle live business data as it speeds through a company. •    Glasgow Enhances JavaBeans .  This next generation of Java components lets you better control events and manipulate data. •    Java's Object-Oriented Communications .  Compared to other remote-procedure-call mechanisms, RMI offers new features, thanks to tight integration with Java. •    RISC Gets Small .  Motorola's latest RISC processor is small, yet it delivers big computing power. •    Writing JavaScript Applications .  A look at several basic tricks necessary to write application-caliber programs using JavaScript.
January 1998	•    Dynamic HTML Explained, Part III .  DHTML's data-binding capability delivers fast, dynamic data over the Web. •    A First Look at Rhapsody .  Apple's next-generation OS is stable, but it relies too much on Unix to get certain features to work. •    IIOP: The Next HTTP? .  The TCP/IP version of a messaging protocol enables client/server communication over the Internet. •    RISC Fights Back with the Mips R12000 .  The latest Rx000-series processor reaffirms Silicon Graphics' commitment t o RISC. •    Enabling the Real-Time Enterprise .  A new communications infrastructure moves critical decision data through intranets at near real time.

all articles    •    1998    1997   1996    1995    1994    •

December 1997	•    Managing Data Transformations .  Making corporate data useful for decisions requires a processing hub that coordinates and controls data flows. •    Speech Enables the Common Desktop PC .  Powerful CPUs and cheap memory let PCs do speech synthesis and voice recognition using software alone. •    Demystifying ATM Addressing .  To safely connect your ATM network to the outside world, carefully consider its addressing scheme. •    Making Personal Video a Reality .  A one-chip MPEG-2 codec makes DVD authoring on a PC possible. •    Dynamic HTML Explained, Part II .  DHTML zooms objects in and out, makes them appear and disappear, and allows many multimedia effects.
November 1997	•    Adjustable Cell Rates for ATM Networks .  A new ATM service enables applications to compensate for network congestion. •    Autoconf Makes for Portable Software .  OS features and a freeware scripting utility solve application portability across various flavors of Unix. •    The Quest to Standardize Metadata .  A standard for database objects lets disparate data-manipulation tools exchange information. •    Building the Virtual PC .  A software emulator shows that the PowerPC can emulate another computer, down to its very hardware. •    Dynamic HTML Explained, Part 1 .  DHTML supports dynamic objects and provides faster browsing through client-side processing.
October 1997	•    Farming the Web .  The Web's content can be harvested for information that's crucial to making strategic decisions. •    A New Epoch for Hand-Helds .  Psion's EPOC32 OS provides sophisticated real-time services for hand-held devices. •    Smarter and Faster IP Connections .  New IP-switch designs help move low-latency data such as sound and video through large networks. •    Keeping It Simple .  A Pentium-class processor rebels against current design trends with a vastly simplified microarchitecture. •    Programming in Limbo .  This language allows for the easy writing of threaded programs with bidirectional communications.
September 1997	•    Managing Mission-Critical Text .  You can integrate text searches and relational data with ConText Cartridge and Oracle universal data server. •    Managing Devices with the Web .  An interface from emWare lets you control and monitor devices with a Web browser. •    Routing and Switching in ATM Networks .  Organizing your ATM network into a hierarchy will make for efficient routing and allow for expansion. •    The Pentium II Revealed .  It combines the Pentium Pro's architecture and MMX instructions into a package for low-cost systems. •    Using ODBCDirect's Advanced Features .  A look at back-end database access for Office 97 applications and batched server updates.
August 1997	•    Data Warehousing's Credibility Crisis .  A data warehouse does more than collect data. It reflects a valid and consistent image of the business. •    Building a Better Interface with Java .  Internet Foundation Classes lets you build Java applets with useful features such as drag and drop. •    Faster Internet Access .  Speed Internet surfing by caching DNS information on your desktop computer. •    Atomic Power Speeds Data into the Home .  New processors make possible the delivery of digital video through existing phone lines. •    Fast and Flexible Access to Databases .  Microsoft's ODBCDirect offers programmers better ways of processing ODBC data sources.
July 1997	•    Using the Web with Legacy Databases .  Simware's Salv o lets you use Web standards to operate mainframe databases. •    The Heart of Hand-Held PCs .  Low power consumption and high performance make Hitachi's SH-3 processor ideal for hand-held devices. •    Yellow Box's API Goes Cross-Platform .  With frameworks across the Mac, Unix, and Windows, could Apple's OS become the best development platform? •    JavaOS: Thin Client, Fat Service .  JavaOS uses a slim kernel that draws additional system services from servers on demand. •    Bulletproofing ATM, Part 2 .  Making a robust ATM network requires more than extra cables. Proper switch and router configuration is crucial.
June 1997	•    Data Delivery When You Want It .  When information links change constantly, Publish and Subscribe promises robust data delivery. •    Inferno: One Hot OS .  Inferno is an abstract, scalable OS suitable for everything from hand-held devices to servers. •    Bulletproofing ATM: Part I .  ATM's topology doesn't offer built-in redundancy, but the smart network manager can build it in the network. •    Smarter, More Secure Smartcards .  The new ST19 IC offers low-power logic for smartcards, plus mechanisms to safeguard their data. •    An Introduction to Objective-C .   While similar to C++, this programming language has differences that make OOP easier.
May 1997	•    Smarter and Faster I/O for Servers .  I2O technology promises scalable server I/O and a enw category of autonomous I/O management applications. •    I nside Gigabit Ethernet .  This networking technology offers better throughput and compatibility with existing Ethernet devices. •    Alpha Arrives at the Desktop .  Digital Semiconductor's Alpha 21164PC delivers workstation-caliber performance to desktop PCs. •    The Internet Robot's Guide to a Web Site .  A special file informs Web catalog and search engines to exclude specific pages on a Web site.
April 1997	•    Unix Helps the Disabled .  Long-awaited adaptive technology comes to the Unix platform. •    Reliable ATM Networking .  A fault-tolerance mechanism paves a safe migration path to ATM for mission-critical applications. •    First Look at PowerPC G3 .  This next-generation PowerPC targets high-performance mobile applications and desktop systems. •    Expect Offers Unix Scripting .  This language can integrate recalcitrant Unix programs and has powerful pattern/action statements.
March 1997	•    A Visual Basic for Web Work .  The newest Visual Basic sibling lets you code smart and interactive Web pages. •    Unix and Windows Dance the Samba .  This set of free Unix utilities lets Windows clients access Unix servers. •    Zen and the Art of Cache Maintenance .  Proper understanding and use of the PowerPC's on-chip caches can improve an application's performance. •    Enhancing Netscape with Plug-Ins .  How to write code that interacts with Netscape while extending its capabilities.
February 1997	•    Fault Tolerance for Windows Applications .  A library offers reliable operation for Windows 95 applications. •    Building Bridges and Secure Connections .  An update on the PPP protocol and its use within enterprise networks. •    The Mac Goes Multipro cessor .  A new library and API enable preemptive multitasking and multiprocessing on Mac OS systems. •    Python Does Scripts and Objects .  This language can handle simple scripting jobs or build large OOP libraries.
January 1997	•    Th e State of Linux .  The latest version of this free Unix spans multiple platforms and offers many sophisticated features. •    Client/Server Magic .  Remote procedure calls bring network applications together. •    Video for Everyone .  C-Cube Microsystem's low-cost MPEG encoder brings digital video to the mainstream computer user. •    Java Security and Type Safety .  Java uses a sophisticated class-checking mechanism to ward off breaches in security.

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December 1996	•    A RISC OS for All Seasons .  Acorn's OS is ideal for embedded applications, yet it scales up to operate desktop computers. •    The Complete ISDN Telecommuter .  A look at several techniques for getting the remote office worker connected via ISDN. •    Super Mario Chip .  The 64-bit MIPS R4300i RISC processor powers a compute-intensive consumer game system. •    Direct3D Revealed .  Microsoft's 3-D API provides devic e-independent access to acceleration hardware. Here's how it works.
November 1996	•    VMS: Alive and Well .  Better reasons than tradition explain why Digital's VMS operating system continues to survive. •    A File System for the Web .   Sun's revised NFS could overcome HTTP's limitations in handling large amounts of Web data. •    The Consumer PowerPC Revisited .  Motorola's embedded PowerPC processor offers a rich set of communications features. •    Parallel Processing in Bulk .  A new programming model for parallel processing simplifies writing programs and promises code portability.
October 19 96	•    Windows 95: Aiding the Disabled .  New Windows 95 features assist computer users who have disabilities. •    The Backbone of the Web .  A look at HTTP version 1.1, a necessary new Internet standard. •    The Server's Helper .  RISC powers Intel's intelligent I/O controller for servers. •    Make Access and the Web Work Together .  Add an interactive database to your Web pages with a few simple tools.
September 1996	•    A Real OS for Real Time .  Sophisticated real-time products need an OS designed for real-time work. •    The New and Improved Internet Protocol .  Enhancements to the Internet Protocol let it support more addresses and handle Web functions. •    How PrintGear Works .  A new architecture designed for low-cost printers requires an inexpensive yet powerful processor. •    Better Java Programming .  Knowing how Java's dynamic linking works can help you improve a program's performance.
August 1996	•    Air-Tight Windows NT .  Windows NT offers industrial-strength security features. •    Patching the Cracks in SNMP .  A new revision to this management protocol addresses performance issues and corrects some flaws. •    The PowerPC Goes Consumer .  A variant of this RISC processor targets the embedded applications market. •    Programming Strategies for Intel's MMX .  A guide to using the Pentium's new multimedia instructions.
July 1996	•    OpenDoc Says OLE To Developers .  Developing OpenDoc components gives you OLE interoperability for free: You can have your cake and eat it, too. •    Life in the Fast LANE .  New ways to carry LAN traffic over ATM solidify. •    x86 Enters the Multimedia Era .  Intel's new MMX instructions bring faster multimedia processing to x86-compatible CPUs. •    Diagnosing Token-Ring Ailments .  A network diagnostics program for tracking down token-ring faults.
June 1996	•    Crave the RAVE .  Apple hopes a primitive 3-D interface will lead to sophisticated 3-D games. •    How to Put Mainframes on the Web .  Web browsers can offer a common front end to mainframe data. •    Two, Two Chips in One! .  The Motorola DSP56800 offers DSP and microcontroller functions on a single chip. •    VxDs In Windows 95 .  VxDs must now be two-faced, providing APIs for 32-bit as well as 16-bit Windows applications.
May 1996	•    Mips R5000: Fast, Affordable 3-D .  Mips has optimized its latest CPU for the single-precision floating-point math operations common in 3-D graphics •    The Be-All of Operating Systems .  Be, Inc., hopes that abandoning legacy systems to create a modern OS will draw developers to the BeBox computer •    Parallel Computing -- Windows Style .  A cluster of PCs working in parallel can speed up some operations •    Fibre Channel: Fast and Flexible .  While it's still ideal for connecting high-speed peripherals, Fibre Channel now fits into many high-speed network architectures
April 1996	•    How to Make Pentium Pros Cooperate .  Intel's Pentium Pro has support for a four-processor configuration, which lets you do jobs that are too big for a single processor •    How Copland Communicates .  Apple Computer's new network service API follows X/Open standards and blazes the trail to the next Macintosh OS •    Windows NT Event Logging .  Windows NT has a well-defined error management system •    Marrying ISDN to the OS .  Dial-up connectivity is easier when the operating system knows the score
March 1996	•    Plan 9: Feature Film to Feature-Rich OS .  A new OS, not from outer space but from venerable Bell Labs, treats all objects as files or file systems •    Bringing Benchmarks up to SPEC .  A suite of respected CPU benchmarks gets a face-lift •    Bug-Free Benchmarks .  Investigation into the erratic behavior of a benchmark leads to an unsettling discovery about memory allocation •    Internet-Aware Applications .  Modified products are in the works that will l et companies further exploit the Internet-as-backbone phenomenon
February 1996	•    Extending OS/2's User Interface .  The Workplace Shell API is a wondrous object-oriented UI. You can extend it without adding a single executable. •    An Alpha in PC Clothing .  Digital Equipment's new x86 emulator technology makes an Alpha system a fast x86 clone •    What's the Future of Dylan? .  It's an expressive object-oriented language, but Dylan might have spent too much time out on Highway 61 •    IP-Address Management on LANs .  Convenience, control, and security are important issues when adding IP to a LAN
January 1996	•    StrongARM Tactics .  This amazing little RISC chip has PDA written all over it •    Is Your Network Secure? .  Securing your corporate network while connecting to the Internet doesn't have to be difficult. Just start with a good foundation. •    Clean Up: C++ Garbage Collection .  Here's a tool that helps you keep your code clean by taking out the trash •    More Control, Fewer Headaches .  You can cut support costs and hassles with integrated configuration management tools

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December 1995	•    Not Just Another Free Unix .  FreeBSD is fast and open, and it runs powerful tools and applications. And, yes, the OS is free. •    Two Turbocharged PowerPCs .  IBM and Motorola rev up the 603e and 604 and reduce the chips' hunger for power •    How to Build an Internet App .  A little Visual Basic code, a connection to the Internet, and you've got your own weather channel •    Untangling Fast Ethernet Cables .  The Fast Ethernet standard specifies support for a wide variety of media
November 1995	•    PixelFlow: Scalable Image Processing .  It divides and conquers rendering by drawing the objects first, then combining them •    Open(ing) VMS to Win32 .  Adding Win32 support to Digital's OS will allow developers to target OpenVMS and NT machines •    Windows NT Threads .  To truly reap the rewards of a multiprocessor NT system, you have to use threads •    ATM with a Twist of LAN .  LAN Emulation brings legacy LANs onto the ATM bandwagon
October 1995	•    Is There a GLINT in Your Future? .  A close look at a coprocessor that accelerates 3-D graphics •    Weaving a Thread .  Solaris and Windows NT both support powerful multithreading/multiprocessing to help get the job done faster •     The Standard Template Library .  Part of the draft C++ standard, STL provides the framework for building generic, highly reusable algorithms and data structures •    Internet Firewalls .  The demand for good Internet firewalls is spurred by the growing number of intrusion incidents
September 1995	•    Endian Issues .  By supporting two memory-addressing modes, the PowerPC can run any OS or application •    The Joy Of J .  One line of J can do the same work as hundreds of lines of Pascal or BASIC •    Springtime at Sun .  SunSoft's experimental OS contains clues to the future of Solaris •    Tuning In to ISDN .  Wireless transmission methods help speed ISDN deployment
August 1995	•    Building the Better Virtual CPU .  Two different designs achieved the same goal: a faster 680x0 emulator for the Mac •    Novell Builds a NEST .  Novell Embedded Systems Technology makes NetWare portable and embeddable •    PostScript Sins .  PostScript is now a common means of exchanging formatted documents. So why so many problems? •    Merging ATM and Ethernet .  There's growing interest in building networks that unite ATM and Ethernet switching technologies
July 1995	•    HP's Speedy RISC .  Numerous function units and smart load/store processing make the PA-8000 the fastest RISC processor •    Copland: The Abstract Mac OS .  Apple rewrites the Mac OS to help support clone systems •    Casting Arrays .  Inside the mechanics of array access in C, with a side trip to deciphering cast operations •    ISDN and Analog Access in One Package .  Users moving to ISDN often still requ ire access to analog links
June 1995	•    Designing Alpha-Based Systems .  Digital's trio of processors offers different design possibilities •    Windows 95 Graphics Architecture .  New device-driver interfaces in Windows 95 help vend ors of graphics boards showcase their hardware-acceleration features •    Adding Apple Events to Your Mac Application: Part 2 .  This final installment illustrates how to write the event handlers and the dispatch table •    Simplifying Remote Management .  Standards-based remote monitoring takes hold
May 1995	•    ColdFire: A Hot Architecture .  This new implementation renews a proven embedded architecture •    NetWare 4.1 Forges Ahead .  More capable and less expensive than version 4.0, 4.1 is the version Novell hopes will finally lure you away from NetWare 3.xx •    Adding Apple Events to Your Mac Application: Part 1 .  Adding basic high-level event functions to your program makes it communicate with other applications •    Virtual LANs Get Real .  Switching technology lets companies quickly bring resources together to meet business challenges
April 1995	•    New PowerPCs for Notebooks and PDAs .  The PowerPC 602 and 603e offer high performance while holding the line on power consumption and cost •    HP-UX 10.0 .  How HP improved the performance, reliability, and ease of use of its flagship PA-RISC operating system •    The Software Stopwatch .  It doesn't take special hardware to achieve timing resolution in the microseconds on the PC or the Mac. You just have to know where to look. •    Create More IP Addresses .  The transition to a new IP address format doesn't have to be painful
March 1995	•    The Truth Behind the Pentium Bug .  An error in a lookup table created the infamous bug in Intel's latest processor •    A Warped Perspective .  Warp's impressive control of DOS, Win16, Win32s, and OS/2 applications makes it an attractive choice for savvy integrators •    OLE Controls from the Ground Up .  The low road to OLE controls has its charms •    Network-Ready Computers .  The fastest networks will challenge desktop systems architects
February 1995	•    Transport-Triggered Arch itectures .  Getting higher performance through greater instruction parallelism •    The Great Little File System .  Veritas provides flexible, secure data storage for Unix SVR4.2 systems •    Constraint Logic Programming .  A child of Prolog finds new life solving programming's nastier problems •    The PGP Web of Trust .  How to certify public keys without a central authority
January 1995	•    FPU Precision .  Ndiff, a custom comparison program, helps programmers sort out how various hardware platforms calculate FPU operations differently •    AMD's 29030 Microprocessor .  Based on the proven 29K RISC core, this processor is ideal for embedded applications •    The Oberon/F System .  A lightweight, portable, object-oriented component framework •    Daisy-Chain Ethernet .  How Farallon Computing and Tut Systems make twisted-pair Ethernet wiring as flexible as PhoneNet

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December 1994	•    Pentium Chip's Dual Personality .  The latest processors offer built-in support for dual-processor systems •    CTOS Revealed .  Unisys' best-kept secret is an operating system built for distributed business applications •    Programming in Tight Spaces .  In the realm of the ultrasmall, inexpensive memory and fast processors can't compensate for inelegant code •    Network Spoofing .  Is your WAN on the wane? LAN spoofing may help solve some of your woes.
November 1994	•    VLIW Questions .  Will VLIW mean ``very long investment window'' for Hewlett-Packard and Intel? •    What is VLIW? .   VLIW (very large instruction word) describes an instruction-set philosophy in which the compiler packs a number of simple, noninterdependent operations into the same instruction word. •    Whither NextStep? .  Next's proselytizing for object-oriented development may set the stage for Taligent and Windows NT •    Power Mac Code Optimizations .  Understanding this RISC system's run-time architecture will let you write faster native applications •    Running the Frame-Relay Race .  Know the ups and downs that await you when implementing this low-cost LAN-to-WAN connection
October 1994	•    Alpha Rides High .  The Alpha 21164 puts DEC firmly at the top of the performance pyramid •    QNX Forges Ahead .  Outfitted with a new graphics microkernel, this compact, modular, and efficient real-time operating system supports an expanding range of applications •    Charting the Uncharted .  A road map to porting shared memory, process management, and semaphore calls from Unix to Windows NT •    Clearing Away the ISDN Roadblocks .  Although proprietar y protocols and arcane service-ordering procedures still stand in ISDN's way, there are promising signs of progress
September 1994	•    Silicon for 3-D .  The Glint chip brings inexpensive 3-D graphics processing to PCs •    The Fix Is In for Chica go .  Microsoft has added many robust features to the successor to Windows 3.x •    Object-Oriented COBOL .  The great-granddaddy of procedural languages may soon be stepping out in its new object-oriented shoes •    Optimizing Notes Replication .  Proper scheduling makes a world of difference •    Tips for Effective Scheduling .   1. Know the duration of your replications to help avoid overly tight scheduling.
August 1994	•    Functional Programming Comes of Age .  Beyond Lisp, some new functional programming languages are starting to emerge after the ongoing research of the eighties •    The Erlang Language .   The Erlang language, named after Danish mathematician Agner Erlang, was developed by a team of employees at the giant Swedish communications firm Ericsson, where it's used to write huge real-time control programs for telephone exchanges and network switches. •    A Different Kind of RISC .  HP's elegant new implementation of its PA-RISC architecture delivers world-class performance •    System 7.5: A Step Toward the Future .  Apple's new Mac OS, simultaneously released on 680x0- and PowerPC-based Macs, has new features both over and under the covers •    SNMP Version 2 .  This protocol's new features let you better manage network devices
July 1994	•    A Taligent Update .  Will systemwide object frameworks reinvent programming? •    Visual Programming's Many Faces .  A future programmer may look less like a writer laying down words and more like an electrician wiringtogether circuit components •    Pentium Secrets .  The Pentium collects lots of information about code execution, and now you can get access to it •    Pretty Good Privacy .  This controversial security scheme for messages is a collection of international cryptographic methods
June 1994	•    PowerPC 604 Weighs In .  Six execution units and dynamic branch prediction highlight IBM/Motorola's new processor •    Retrofitting OS/2 for SMP .  OS/2 can now exploit the current generation of 80x86-based symmetric multiprocessing hardware •    From Here to There .  A look at the value of the Point-to-Point Protocol in creating wide-area networks •    Port Mac Applications to the PowerPC .  Apple's Mixed Mode Manager and Universal Procedure Pointer greatly ease the transition