Contents - Cultural View

Apache Harmony 27
Component Description
ICU Mature C/C++ and Java libraries for Unicode support, software internationalization and software globalization.
Apache Xalan An XSLT stylesheet processor for Java and C++ which implements the XPath language.
Apache Xerces An XML parser library for Java, C++ and Perl
Apache Portable
Runtime
Cross-platform abstraction library provides platform independence.
Apache CXF Robust and high performance Web Services framework work over protocols such as SOAP, XML/HTTP, RESTful HTTP,
and CORBA.
BCEL Libraries for decomposing, modifying, and recomposing binary Java classes (i.e., bytecode)
MX4J Java Management Extensions (JMX) tools for managing and monitoring applications, system objects, devices and service
oriented networks.
vmmagic Set of extensions to the Java language to facilitate systems programming in Java by adding direct memory operations etc.
Bouncy Castle Libraries collection of lightweight cryptography for Java and C#.
ANTLR language tool that provides a framework for constructing recognizers, interpreters, compilers, and translators from
Documentation
grammatical descriptions containing actions in a variety of target languages.
Harmony is currently less documented than the alternative free Java implementations. For instance, in GNU
Classpath every method of the central CORBA class (ORB) has the explaining comment both in the standard
abstract API class [22] and implementation [23]. In the Yoko [24] project, used by Harmony [25], the majority of
methods both in the standard declaration [26] and implementing class [27] were not documented (at the end of
October, 2006). Also, GNU Classpath supported both older and current CORBA features (same as Sun's
implementation). Harmony, differently, left the central method of the older standard (ORB.connect(Object)) fully
unimplemented.
Tools
A complete implementation of the Java platform also requires a compiler that translates Java source code into
bytecodes, a program that manages JAR files, a debugger, and an applet viewer and web browser plugin, to name a
few. Harmony currently has the compiler, appletviewer, jarsigner, javah, javap, keytool, policytool, and unpack200
[28].
Virtual machine support
Harmony currently has seven virtual machine implementations that run Harmony Class Library, all of which were
donations by external groups:
• JC Harmony Edition VM, "JCHEVM," based on the JCVM's interpreter, contributed by the author, Archie Cobbs.
• BootJVM, a simple bootstrapping virtual machine, contributed by Daniel Lydick.
• SableVM, an advanced, portable interpreter, contributed by authors from the Sable Research Group; and the
Dynamic Runtime Layer Virtual Machine.
• DRLVM, a just-in-time compiler contributed by Intel.
• BEA announced the availability of an evaluation version of JRockit VM running Apache Harmony Class
Library [29] .
• JikesRVM, an open-source meta-circular JVM that use the Apache Harmony Class Library [30] .
• Ja.NET SE - the open source project is providing a Java 5 JDK (class libraries, tools, etc.) that run on the .NET
CLR. Ja.NET SE is based on the Apache Harmony Class Libraries [31] .