The first alpha preview of 64-bit version of Excelsior JET is ready.
You will not be able to compile and run your Java applications with this alpha: a lot of functionality is yet to be implemented. Nevertheless, simple Java programs like those in \samples directory can be compiled into 64-bit executables and run.
In other words, you can get convinced of that 64-bit Excelsior JET exists not only on pages of this blog and play a bit of “What Is Working in First Alpha?” 
If you are interested in trying Excelsior JET 8.0 alpha 1 for 64-bit Windows, please contact us. If not, simply stay tuned – next alpha versions are coming.
According to the Support Policy statement, Excelsior JET 7.0 has reached Product End Of Life status. We encourage customers of this version to migrate to more recent versions to receive the support services under valid Support Contracts.
If you need help in migrating to a newer version of Excelsior JET, do not hesitate to contact us.
We have issued the first update to Excelsior JET 7.6 today, and brought its Java SE 6 version support up to date:
If you are a paying customer of Excelsior JET 7.6, but the download instructions for the above updates are neither in your inbox nor in the junk mail box, request them from our Support Dept. at support@excelsior-usa.com.
This canonical program
public class hello
{
static public void main (String args[])
{
System.out.println("Hello, world!");
}
}
compiled with Excelsior JET into a 64-bit Windows executable has been successfully run. After that, it has finished in time with the expected result.
Note: Even though many runtime routines and native methods are still replaced with stubs, a lot of compiled Java code has been executed. This is an important milestone that shows we are moving in the right direction.
Stay tuned!
Over the recent few weeks, we have received several inquiries regarding the use of Excelsior JET to protect and accelerate Web applications running in the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, EC2. By pure coincidence, I have been working on a series of articles on running Apache Tomcat on EC2 for the general Java Web developer audience. The first, introductory article is ready, please check it out and let me know what you think:
Cat in the Cloud: Apache Tomcat in Amazon EC2. Part I – The Basics
Update 08-Dec-2011: The second part is out:
Cat in the Cloud: Apache Tomcat in Amazon EC2. Part II – Taking Control Over Your Java Stack
I am glad to announce that version 2.2 of Excelsior Delivery and Excelsior Installer have been released and are available for download.
The major new feature of Excelsior Delivery is the support of MSI format, which is the native format of Windows Installer. Excelsior Delivery Packager now provides an option to produce a full set of XML scripts that may be supplied as input to the open source WiX toolset to produce an MSI installation package. The Packager is also able to call WiX directly, so it may serve as a GUI front-end for WiX supporting the features of Excelsior Delivery.
Version 2.2 of Excelsior Installer does not introduce any bright new features. It however fixes a number of bugs reported by users.
To download the new version, please visit the product site:
See also: How to download and install WiX
Even though the primary focus of Excelsior has always been on programming languages and their implementation – compilers, managed runtimes (JVM), tooling, etc., our Professional Services Department also offers Java consulting and undertakes long-term application development projects. One such project involved a large distributed system for enterprise email filtering and archiving. The system was implemented in Java and works on top of JBoss, with a large number of automatically scheduled tasks.
At some point the system experienced severe performance deterioration during massive import of email messages. However, our ability to diagnose the problem was substantially undermined by the fact that literally thousands of concurrent threads were running when the problem manifested itself. Isolation of the respective code portions into separate applications was not possible either. A really advanced performance analysis tool was needed.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Java, performance, tool, webapps
I am happy to announce that Excelsior JET 7.6, originally scheduled for October, has become generally available yesterday, September 19. Download now
The Difference Is Under The Hood
As explained in the roadmap, this release delivers the first results of our core engine review/rewrite work on which we have been concentrated ever since the previous release. Excelsior JET 7.6 does not show off any shiny new features, but, under the hood, the new engine parts are expected to boost application performance on multi-core/CPU systems.
Also included is the support for the latest versions of Java SE 6, Eclipse RCP, and Apache Tomcat.
Update 25-Oct-2011: We have verified that Excelsior JET 7.6 is also interoperable with Eclipse SDK 4.1, so you may take advantage of the latest Eclipse RCP improvements.
Finally, we have addressed a handful of stability issues and brought a few implementation-defined aspects of our JVM behavior into line with the reference implementation.
Please take it out for a spin and let us know if you feel the difference!
See also: Full list of improvements in Excelsior JET 7.6
We have re-released xFunction under a freeware license and ceased its further development officially. We shall continue supporting xFunction customers that have purchased a commercial license for another twelve months.
If you need a JNI proxy, have a look at JNA (Java Native Access), which provides essentially the same functionality as xFunction, is available for more platforms, and is open sourced under LGPL.
If JNA does not work for you or you cannot use LGPL software, please feel free to continue using xFunction. We may even port it to a platform of your choice, at your expense.
For the avoidance of doubt, our flagship product, Excelsior JET, is and shall remain our top priority.
If you have been following Excelsior JET for the last few years, you may have noticed that our list prices have not changed since the introduction of Basic Support option two and a half years ago. Based on the actual sales figures, cost structure analysis and the feedback we have been receiving, we have decided to make the following changes today:
- All prices for the Windows version will remain the same for now. This includes new licenses, upgrades, and support contract renewals for all editions.
- Immediately going down are the prices of:
-
New licenses (slightly) and support contract renewals (substantially) for Excelsior JET, Standard Edition for Linux
-
Support contract renewals for Excelsior JET, Professional Edition for Linux (considerably)
- To be raised on Monday September 19th are the prices of:
-
New licenses and upgrades of Excelsior JET, Professional Edition for Linux
-
New licenses, upgrades, and support contract renewals for Excelsior JET, Enterprise Edition for Linux
Windows+Linux bundle prices change accordingly, but to a smaller percentage.
Our online store already displays old and new prices if you click on “Show details” in the price adjustment notice.
