IT Hot News

Populating Word Documents on the Server with Microsoft .NET

Consider the following portion of an all-too-common server scenario. An authenticated user, perhaps a salesperson, requests a Word document from a server. The document is an expense report, and the server is an ASP, ASP.NET, or SharePoint Server. The server code looks up some information about the user from a database, Active Directory, or Web service. For example, perhaps the server has a list of recent corporate credit card activity that it will prepopulate into the expense list. The server starts up Word but keeps it 'invisible' because there is no interactive user on the server. It then uses the Word object model to insert the data into a table, saves the result, and serves up the resulting file to the user.  Read More

Writely Embraces the OpenDocument Movement

Writely (http://www.writely.com/), The Web Word Processor, today released support for OpenDocument Format (ODF), the open standard document format backed by Sun Microsystems, IBM and Adobe. Starting today, Writely users can upload documents into Writely from Microsoft Word and Sun Microsystems' OpenOffice.org, as well as save the documents back into either of those formats.  Sun and Google announced last month their intention to explore jointly enhancing and promoting OpenOffice.org. Read More

Java Development Gets Web 2.0 Treatment

Addressing the issue of bringing Java development more in line with the needs of Web 2.0 developers, an open-source project has emerged to deliver Java support for the Representational State Transfer architectural style.

Jerome Louvel, a developer based in Levallois-Perret, France, has established a project known as the Restlet project to create a REST framework on top of the Java Servlet API.

Louvel, who serves as an independent consultant specializing in Java development and business process integration as the founder of Noelios Consulting, said his mission with the Restlet project is to "bring the simplicity and efficiency of the REST architectural style to Java developers."

However, Louvel said he does not want to revive the debate of SOAP (Simple Object Application Protocol) versus REST, as it "has been discussed too many times already."

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Embeddable browser aims AJAX at Linux devices

Opera Software has added support for AJAX (asynchronous javascript and XML) to its flagship Opera browser and SDK (software development kit). The company hopes AJAX will help Opera succeed as a user interface and application framework for embedded devices, an increasing marketing focus for the company.

The Opera browser first appeared in the mid-90s, positioned as a low-cost, higher-quality alternative to Netscape and Internet Explorer on the desktop. However, a growing customer base among device vendors allowed Opera to make its browser free for desktop users late last year.

According to Opera, using a web browser as a user interface and applications framework simplifies the design of embedded devices, and eliminates redundant middleware. In addition to support for AJAX, other advanced features of interest to device makers include an optional standalone graphics library, DHTML, kiosk mode, and display and rendering modes to support the low- and medium-resolution displays typically found on devices, not to mention TV displays.

As part of its renewed push in the device market, Opera announced earlier this week that it will port its browser to the newest media receiver chips from Sigma Designs.