Java Conversion Tool Updated

An update to the free Java Language Conversion Assistant (JLCA) enables it to convert a wider range of Java applications and components, including those that rely on Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs) and more recent versions of Java 2 Enterprise Edition, to C# and .NET.

The JLCA is an add-on to Visual Studio .NET that allows developers to convert Java source code to C#. Converting a program, however, requires more than just translating the source code itself—it also requires translating APIs. In this case, the JLCA must translate code that uses Java APIs to the equivalent .NET APIs.

Most notably, JLCA 3.0 adds the following new features:

• Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) support has been updated to version 1.3, although this still lags behind the current standard, J2EE 1.4
• Support for converting EJBs—a component format frequently used by Java-based application servers—into .NET components.

EJB support was previously available in the Enterprise Edition of the JLCA—a for-fee version offered by Artinsoft, the Costa Rican company that produces the JLCA for Microsoft. With version 3.0, Microsoft has made that functionally available in the free product. Artinsoft will now focus on providing consulting services to help companies migrate Java code.