Code name: "MERAPI"
Taking You To Java

Java's gathering momentum in the computer market has raised hopes of a more open, decentralized, and tolerant software future than the developments of recent years have led us to expect. For Amiga users, it has given rise to a demand for participation in this future--participation that can only be provided by a good Java Virtual Machine implementation (the software engine that executes programs created in Java) for our machine.

To meet this demand, Haage & Partner are developing a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) implementation under the code name *Merapi*. In our perception, the Java technology has several attractive features particularly from the Amiga users' point of view:

* It will bring in new applications. Dozens upon dozens of companies in the PC software market have already committed themselves to delivering applications that can run on any machine that supports Java, breaking at last the old chains of platform incompatibility. Their new products will now add value to the Amiga as well as to the more common platforms.

* As software availability ceases to be a compelling factor in deciding on a computer platform, the Amiga's friendliness and ease of use will prove sufficient reason to choose it over eg. Windows or the Mac OS if one happens to prefer the Amiga computer.

* The similarity of design principles and flexibility of Java and the Amiga OS have great synergetic potential: A good JVM implementation can make it seem as if Java and the Amiga operating system were designed for each other from the start.

* Java complements the Amiga system well. Memory protection and resource tracking, for instance, are integral parts of the Java environment. Whereas these are merely a duplication of effort when used under operating systems that already have such features built in, on the Amiga they very neatly fill in the blanks that many users see in the Amiga operating system.

The Merapi project focuses specifically on bringing these benefits to the Amiga user base. Apart from the obvious goals of compatibility and the ability to run Java software fast, which all JVM implementations strive for, Merapi has more characteristic aims. The main ones are:

* High quality that developers and users alike can depend on for robustness, security, and longevity.

* Making the best possible use of what the Amiga OS has to offer. Rather than attempting to cram UNIX code into an Amiga mold or imitating existing PC products, Merapi is designed for the Amiga from the ground up to give you the best possible match.

* Letting non-Java software, as well as the user, make the best possible use of what Java has to offer. The services of the Java subsystem are made available to external software through an open interface, so the use of Java software is not limited to eye candy inside a Web browser window. Java will be no second-class citizen in your system!

MERAPI project is done by Jeroen Vermeulen in co-operation with the Storm team. MERAPI will be integrated into Web browsers like VOYAGER NG, but it will also be a stand-alone JAVA interpreter with just-in-time compiler (to speeed it up, JIT) to run JAVA applications like Corel Office for Java.

MERAPI will also be integrated into the Storm Development System to enable programmers to write JAVA applications on the Amiga. A port to p.OS and PowerUP will be done.