SCIENCE

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- InCert(R) Software Corporation, a provider of application fault management solutions, today announced the availability of TraceBack(TM) 1.0, the Java(TM) platform edition. TraceBack is designed for developers who are looking for a more effective way to debug complex, multithreaded Java applications. As the software development process becomes increasingly more complex, the need for powerful, robust software development tools is greater than ever. Although developers using Java can become more productive, the multithreading and other concurrency issues inherent in the applications can introduce subtle run-time errors. This can make it incredibly difficult to develop robust applications, while meeting ever increasing time-to-market demands. Companies can avoid the crippling effects application hangs and crashes have on deployed solutions by instrumenting an application with TraceBack's patented technology. InCert's unique approach to diagnosing the root cause of software bugs in Java applications--in contrast to traditional Java debuggers--allows programmers to identify and remedy bugs in minutes versus hours, without the need to be familiar with Java code. "The pressure on Java developers to rapidly produce robust code is intense, especially when many companies are cutting back on personnel," said Jeff Mulligan, vice president of marketing at InCert. "TraceBack provides users with a highly effective way to make their code more reliable, speeding overall time-to-market and eliminating a tedious aspect of software development." Utilizing InCert's patented agent technology, TraceBack produces a trace file containing the exact sequence of a program's execution leading up to the fault, giving users the ability to view the history correlated with the source code whenever an application fails or hangs. A single command line instruction lets developers instrument all classes and/or JAR files in a project within minutes. The ability to create traces of multithreaded applications while they are running, without altering the program's behavior, provides developers with the detail they need to resolve issues at the first fault, eliminating the need for repeated failure replication. TraceBack Features - Quickly instrument Java classes and JAR files Easy-to-use command-line tool allows all classes and/or JAR files in a project to be instrumented with a single command. - No complicated setup or changes to existing build processes TraceBack works on existing compiled code. There are no changes to your source and no changes to your build process. In fact, TraceBack successfully instruments commercial applications right out of the box. - Does not require the use of debug APIs such as JPDA Unlike debuggers, TraceBack works with the same VM that you use in production. There is no need to switch to the debug environment after a problem has been detected, which could alter the behavior of the application and mask the problem. - Trace multiple threads concurrently TraceBack allows you to replay the interleaving of multiple threads of execution. This information is essential for debugging resource contention problems and demystifying synchronization errors. - Create traces of running applications without affecting their behavior TraceBack allows you to snapshot a running or hung application whenever you want to. The application is unaffected and continues to run. If an application is hung, TraceBack is still able to create a trace and provide all of the details that lead up to the hang. A free trial is available on the company's web site at www.debugjava.com. TraceBack is also currently available for Windows C/C++ and OS/390. Visual Basic support will be available in late July and Solaris support is scheduled for early fall.