Java Programming Goes Into HORBit

by Noriko Takezaki

"Congratulations on creating what I believe to be the next generation in computing." This was the e-mail message that researcher Satoshi Hirano received from Ted Coombs, editor-in-chief of the Java Developer's Journal. Hirano, who wor ks at the Electrotechnical Laboratory of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry's Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (in Tsukuba, Ibaraki prefecture), is the developer of a new network language based on Java.

This language, called HORB (Hirano's Object Request Broker), is one of the world's first, and most widely available, Java-based distributed languages. HORB enables programs to be run on computers connected to a network without regard for either the ty pe of computer or the operating system (OS) being used -- provided that the computers can support Java.

This means, for example, that you can create an object on a UNIX server which calls methods of the object from a PC running Windows 95, or send an object to the server to execute it. The secret to this legerdemain lies in the functioning of the proxy objects in the client. A proxy object works for the server object by offering the functions of the server to the client object when the server and the client share an ORB (object request broker). This is what enables HORB to realize interoperability betwe en systems with different OSes.

Further, since HORB is an extension of the popular Java language, it inherits the key elements of Java, such as its grammar semantics and execution/development environment, and can use any Java resources. HORB is thus compatible with World Wide Web br owsers such as Netscape Navigator and VRML 2.0 (Virtual Reality Markup Language).

"In the age of network computing, we need a flexible, distributed processing language which can run on any computer," declares Hirano. "I believe HORB is a pioneer in meeting such a need, in clearing the limits of the existing computer languages."

Aware of the acute need for an adaptable, network-capable language, Hirano set to work trying to develop one even though he had other important projects to work on. He has devoted most of his free time after work and on weekends for about one year to conceptualize and develop HORB.

The road was not always easy; Hirano acknowledges that development of the language has been his top priority, which initially created some problems in his relatively new marriage. "Whenever some nicer idea on development came to my mind, I couldn 't help rushing to my computer to test it -- even during dinner at home. Eventually, I was spending most of my time sitting in front of a computer at home." His wife, Akiko, however, soon became a warm supporter of his enthusiastic research by servin g "good-for-my-husbands'-brain" meals. "She now claims she is a co-developer of HORB," Hirano laughs.

The first version of HORB was announced on the Internet at the end of last year, and the latest (as of June) version, HORB 1.2.1, is still offered with a free license that allows anyone to download and use it. Since announcement of the first version, Hirano's homepage has had over 10,000 hits, and he has received several hundred encouraging e-mail messages from all over the world. Companies such as Hewlett Packard and AT&T are now testing HORB. According to Hirano, those who download the language generally have one of two objectives: the creation of applications, such as building a virtual city on the Net or developing network utilities, or creation of personalized ORBs based on HORB.

Most of the downloads of HORB have come from US companies and developers. Relatively few Japanese have bothered, which -- as a researcher working for the Japanese government -- dismays Hirano, even though he is pleased that his project is attracting g lobal attention. "Although the Japanese industry people have shown an interest in HORB, they will wait for a while to see how the wind blows, how other people react to it," laments Hirano. "The Japanese hesitate to take quick action toward new developments. The response from the American [computer industry] people is much quicker and more energetic. They dare to grab at a new idea if it seems promising; even large companies don't hesitate to run a risk in accepting a new idea."

Recognizing this weak point of Japan's computer industry, Hirano sees his next tasks as discovering "how to lead the technological development in Japan" as well as the functional expansion of HORB. Regarding the latter, he is excited and opt imistic. For the former task, though, he as yet has few good ideas. "I will seek a way to establish a consortium, so that people in Japan and in the rest of the world can share the benefits of HORB. I hope it will be a way [for a made-in-Japan techno logy] to contribute to the world," says Hirano.

For more information about HORB, or to download a copy, go to http://ring.etl.go.jp/openlab/horb/. You can also contact Hirano by e-mail at hirano@etl.go.jp.