ava has now established itself as a definitive environment for contemporary application development and has achieved tremendous market impetus. Java is an incredibly full-featured, openly documented programming language that is taught in schools and used in large enterprises around the world. With BBj®, BASIS combines the Java development environment with the well-established and widely used functionality of the Business BASIC language. BBj makes the enticing modern features of Java available to BASIS customers immediately, placing them directly in the mainstream of cutting-edge software application development. Making money with BASIS technology means using BBj to breathe new life into existing applications. Legacy applications with proven business logic and time-tested reliability, which may now seem stale or unexciting, can move onto new computing platforms and find new markets, thanks to BBj and its foundation in Java.

New technologies generally contain exciting features. These features start as responses to customer requests, but within a short time, they become customer requirements. While a business application loaded with new features may look very attractive and appear to satisfy all of a customer's requirements, its ultimate success in the marketplace may depend on the smoothness of the transition it allows from the customer's required way of doing things. The marketplace drives demand for new technology. However, the market seldom addresses how developers can best incorporate that technology into their applications, without requiring their customers to abandon what has worked for them in the past. BASIS remains committed to helping BBj developers cope with this exact situation. The BASIS Web site and Advantage magazine provide useful information and ideas for developers, strengthening their understanding of how to utilize new features and convey new functionality to their customers. The upcoming conference, TechCon2003, is a tremendous opportunity for developers to witness demonstrations of applied new technology. The demonstration code is open-source and available to all conference attendees.

Web services technology has the potential to change the entire face of Internet computing. Customers can now write Web services using BBj 3.0! TechCon2003 will feature a BBj-enabled Web services demonstration, illustrating how formerly isolated legacy applications now work together. Using Web services in BBj, developers can help their customers transition existing business methods onto the Web and into the future without forsaking their existing investment in software. (To read more about Web services, see David Wallwork's article in this issue of the Advantage.)

Data access has taken on a completely new dimension in distributed application design. Customers are drowning in data, and their survival depends on managing that data in an infinite number of ways. Their applications need to include new ad hoc analysis and reporting tools, so the customer can more easily comprehend and act on their data. Because BASIS believes, "There's money in the data," BBj 3.0 delivers external data access in more ways and greater volume than ever before. In the past, it was common to invite a customer into a showroom in order to demonstrate the features and design of an application. In today's business world, people no longer work exclusively in an office. BBj allows developers to demonstrate remote data access from a Web-enabled cell phone or PDA instead of a showroom. At TechCon, BASIS will demonstrate real-world application examples, showing how to extend this functionality to any legacy or new Business BASIC application.

How can developers make money with BASIS technology? Imagine the potential market-share if a Business BASIC application:

• Could grow data to unlimited size.
• Could be accessed from the Web.
• Could be accessed from any mobile device.
• Could access other applications that aren't on the same network.
• Could ride on top of an industry-standard platform.

Imagine the competitive advantage when customers hear that their existing systems need only be extended and enhanced, rather than expensively replaced. Imagine the revenue potential when applications that once dominated the market become viable again because of their connectivity to the freeway of Java-based technology. Come to BASIS TechCon2003 to see first-hand how BBj can make money for you !