Any large Java source base can have insidious and subtle bugs. Every experienced Java programmer knows that finding and fixing these bugs can be difficult and costly. Fortunately, there are a large number of free open source Java tools available that can be used to find and fix defects early in the development life cycle. In this article, we'll look at a few examples of specific uncommon1 or unusual defects that can happen in code and see how different Java static analysis tools detect them.

In keeping with the longstanding SYS-CON tradition of being at the very forefront of software development with all its online and offline resources, SYS-CON Media & Events jointly today announced a double whammy, launching both 'Open Web Developer's Journal' (htt p://openweb.sys-con.com) and 'Open Web Developer Summit' (http://openweb.s ys-con.com) - to be held for the first time in New York City April 21-22, 2008.

If you use Adobe Flex Web applications that connect to Plain Old Java Objects on the server side, chances are you use a popular, robust, and freely available server called Apache Tomcat. If you use Eclipse-based Flex Builder, you can smoothly debug both Flex and Java code without leaving Eclipse. Flex Builder debugger does not need any special configuration. But we need to add a couple of parameters to the startup routine of Tomcat so it'll engage the Java Platform Debugger Architecture (JPDA), which will allow other applications attach to JVM that runs Tomcat and debug deployed Java classes remotely.

These days the size of almost all the resources available to a programmer (memory volume, CPU speed, etc.) are on the rise except for one: the time required to complete a project, which is shrinking. So it's important to work with tools that are convenient and make you productive. It's also important to keep the cost of software development in check by keeping as much as possible of the investments that were already made.

Eclipse has emerged as the platform that finally integrates development tools from multiple vendors into a common, extensible, and widely supported framework. The Eclipse CDT development environment brings this rich offering of integrated tools to the world of C and C++ programming, enabling C/C++ developers to improve their productivity and enhance the quality of the software they produce.