BEA aids Java developers with XML

BEA Systems has announced a hosted service that it claims will help Java developers incorporate XML data into their applications.

The US-based company is launching a beta version of BEA XMLBeans through its Web site. Developers who submit XML schema will gain access to a set of Java classes they can use in their applications to manipulate XML data, according to Carl Sjogreen, a senior product manager at BEA.

Sjogreen says companies invest in XML schema to describe XML data, but when they try to bring the XML schema into a Java application, they often lose the constraints or validation rules, since only the basic structure of the XML schema is preserved.

To work with XML, Java developers often have to write tedious code to walk through the low-level structure of XML information, or they have to force-fit XML data into their Java applications, says Sjogreen. [ComputerWorld]

Internet use among Hispanics in the US is outpacing the general population, a new survey reports. The survey found that Hispanics are becoming the largest minority group in the US.

US Hispanic Internet users on average spend 16% more time online per week than overall US Internet users, according to the study, based on surveys conducted by the country`s largest Internet service provider, America Online, and market researcher RoperASW.

In terms of growth, 48% of US Hispanics surveyed first went online in the past two years, as opposed to 21% in the general US population, a sign that the US Hispanic online population is growing faster. [PCWorld]

IBM`s Lotus software group has kicked off its Lotusphere user show in Orlando, Florida, with a flurry of announcements about upcoming products. Heading the list is a new, still-unnamed e-mail system aimed at the lower end of the corporate market. The goal is to tap customers who are not seeking a full messaging suite such as Lotus Notes, according to Ken Bisconti, Lotus`s VP of messaging and advanced collaboration.

The Java-based software will take advantage of technologies from throughout IBM`s portfolio, including its DB2 database, portal framework and mobile-access features, says Bisconti. Now in beta testing, the software is scheduled to ship during the second quarter.

IBM also says it will release IBM Lotus Sametime Everyplace 3, the latest version of its mobile instant messaging software during the third quarter. Previously, Sametime Everyplace worked only with mobile phones. The latest version will support Pocket PC and Palm OS handhelds. [Reuters]

Sun Microsystems has announced that a unified modelling language (UML) tool from Embarcadero Technologies will ship with its Sun ONE Studio integrated development environment (IDE).

Jeff Anders, a group marketing manager for Sun ONE Studio, says customers have been asking for UML modelling capabilities in IDEs, and Sun chose Embarcadero`s tool, in part, because of its tight integration with Sun ONE Studio. [ComputerWorld]

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