In an interesting article on InformIT, Java architecture is compared to .NET architecture, and J# is accurately analized. The differences from these 2 architects can be resumed as follow:
.NET Architecture | Java Architecture |
Designed to support multiple different programming languages. Currently, 30 languages support the .NET architecture. | Though other languages' code can be converted to run under JVM, they don't acquire true cross-language capabilities. |
Compiles the source code to Intermediate Language (IL), which is itself a language. | Compiles the source code to Java bytecode, which by itself is not a language. |
CLR implements a contiguous memory allocation algorithm. | JVM implements a noncontiguous memory allocation algorithm. |
Compiles the source code twice during the process of converting to native code. Compiling works faster than interpreting. | Compiles and interprets the source code once during the process of converting it to native code. |
Interesting!
Users will have to balance their IT security requirements with potential Java and .NET performance problems if they are to take advantage of the features being introduced in Windows XP Service Pack 2.
XP SP2, which is due out in the first half of 2004, will be an important step in Microsoft's strategy to provide a secure IT environment. But the highest level of security offered through SP2 will require the use of "no execution" (NX) technology, which is currently only available on machines equipped with AMD's Athlon an Opteron 64-bit chips.
NX uses a feature of the processor to prevent a buffer overflow exploit, by stopping a hacker from running a Trojan horse program. Microsoft said NX should prevent worms such as MS Blaster from replicating.
Gartner research fellow Martin Reynolds said, "Buffer overflow will be a lot harder to exploit under SP2." But he pointed out that some applications might not be compatible with NX. "Some code may deliberately execute from the data area - for example, just-in-time compilers for Java - and require the NX feature to be disabled," he said.
Intel said its next Pentium 4 chip, Prescott, would not support NX. "There are compatibility concerns around NX. We would only introduce it once those are dealt with," an Intel spokesman told Computer Weekly.
Carla Arend, analyst on IDC's European security research team, said, "NX technology should be considered by companies as part of their upgrade plans." She said if NX processors are already available from AMD and if Intel is about to launch them, companies that can wait before immediately upgrading should do so to take advantage of the NX fix.
And now? What do you think about?
An article on Tom's Hardware gives insight in to Windows Future Storage services, an indexing subsystem of sorts, contained in the next version of Windows dubbed Longhorn.
WinFS, which is based on a relational database, will refine file and data management for the Windows platform. In short, "WinFS mirrors folders and files, enabling it to speed up searches and retrieval of these data based on suitable XML parameters and, above all, according to variable criteria" {T's H: NTFS Holds ...}.
The article's headings are as follows:
- NTFS Holds On Into Longhorn
- Cross-Format File Administration
- XML Metadata Take On The Clipboard
- WinFS Inside
- Data Tags: XML Schemes
- WinFS Services
- Virtual Folders