Getting Started with Lotus BeanMachine

Introduction


The explosion of the World Wide Web has been nothing short of phenomenal. The number of people accessing the web is growing by leaps and bounds. Literally hundreds of thousands of web sites filled with millions of web pages are springing up, seemingly overnight. The web is having an impact and it's here to stay.

Think about it. How often do you correspond with a friend, family member or business colleague by electronic mail? Maybe you're buying products over the web. Hey, even the television networks are worried about the way we spend our leisure time. A reduction in the number of couch potatoes? Now that's compelling evidence -- something significant is happening here.

But if we stop for a second and think about it, the web is not about dramatic life changes. It's affecting the little things, the everyday things: the way we learn, the way we shop, bank, work, and especially the way we communicate with each other.


Growth brings new demands
As a result of its meteoric growth, the web is changing and maturing rapidly. What once might have been described as a great library of information is now talked about in more active terms. It's a place of commerce, entertainment, marketing, and advertising. This change, in the way people want to use the web, is driving changes in the kind of information available and the way in which information is presented and processed.

At the same time, web site creators (especially in the commercial sector) are clamoring for attention and competitive advantage. They're adding new capabilities like online banking and shopping. And they're working to heighten the experience of visiting their web site. They've got to get your attention, then keep it!


Java and BeanMachine
Technology, too, is keeping pace. We've already seen HTML coding and page creation tools give way to a new generation of web site authoring suites. And Sun Microsystems' Java^TM has emerged as a vital technology for meeting the new demands on the web. Simply said, Java makes web sites come to life. It puts interaction and logic into otherwise static pages. Moreover, Java's unparalleled momentum and industry support virtually guarantee its role will continue to grow into commerce-oriented web sites.

That's where BeanMachine comes in. What is BeanMachine? The easiest way yet to produce Java applets. It's an award-winning, visual authoring tool for combining Java components (called JavaBeans) into new applications. BeanMachine puts the power and excitement of Java into the hands of web site creators, graphic designers, and marketing/communication specialists. Intriguing thought? Just imagine what you can do!

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