Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Contents

1. What does Jargon Software do in the wireless market?
2. What major problems do you solve?
3. What is the target market and the value proposition for that market?
4. What software structure must be in place for Jargon Software wireless deployment?
5. What end-user platforms and devices do you work with?
6. What special competitive advantages do you offer?
7. What makes Jargon Software so efficient at low bandwidths?
8. What sort of applications are best suited for Jargon Software?
9. How do you develop applications so quickly with Jargon Software?
10. How are the apps developed and deployed?
11. What technical expertise do I need to use Jargon Software tools?
12. What help might I need in developing and deploying my own applications?
13. Does Jargon Software have specialized transformational middleware?
14. Where does Jargon Software fit with respect to the middleware suppliers?
15. Can Jargon Software be complementary to middleware?
16. Where are applications kept for deployment?
17. How do I make changes to Jargon Reader once it is deployed, and ensure that all Readers are updated?
18. How does Jargon Software handle security?
19. How does Jargon Software fit with web services methodologies and platforms? (e.g. J2EE, .NET, SOAP, UDDI)
20. What are competitors doing to address the problems solved by Jargon Software?
21. What is the pricing for development and deployment products, and how can I order?
22. What is the value proposition?

Jargon Software provides tools and deployment products that enable fast and cost-effective development of interactive business applications for mobile deployment on wireless handheld devices.

Mobile applications developed with Jargon Software technology work efficiently at slow connection speeds, enable both online and offline operation, and minimize both initial deployment costs and ongoing support costs due to our zero-deployment technology.

Jargon Software targets core enterprise applications where real-time access and update of data is critical for outside functions, including:

• sales support
• field operations
• warehouse/inventory operations
• traveling executives.

Immediacy of information can lead to:

• less travel and more service calls (dispatch)
• more sales calls and orders
• immediate customer response
• immediate customer information for new orders and order status
• reductions in paperwork and repetitive data entry
• improved employee and customer satisfaction

There must be a central server (usually Windows, Unix or Linux) with an Internet connection, any standard web server (such as IIS or Apache), appropriate HTTP-compliant middleware, and business procedures that have access to the firm's main corporate database.

Version 3.3 supports PocketPC handheld devices such as HP and Dell PDAs, as well as industrial models from Symbol and other vendors. It also supports Windows PCs and notebooks plus Windows CE tablets and other devices.

Some of our most important advantages include:

• zero deployment overhead
• zero maintenance costs
• both online and offline operation
• local intelligence for lookup, edits and verification
• high performance at low bandwidth

Only data is sent between the client device and the central server, not complete screen contents. The user interface is specified in application programs that are downloaded as compressed XML files only once, when an application is first loaded, or when a new version of the app is put on the server.

Enterprise data entry and data access for critical database applications where real-time access is important.

We have really smart programmers!! OK, while that is true, it's not the real answer. The answer is: a clean, elegant architecture combined with easy-to-use tools and simple installation procedures. Unlike many mega-corporate-monster products, Jargon Software's design concepts are simple and easy to understand. You can learn to use them in a day or two and be an expert in a week or two. And, all the host-side business logic is coded in the same way you do it now.

Client applications, which consist of a user interface and local programming logic (in JavaScript), are designed and created in the Jargon Writer development tool and stored as XML files.

User interface screens and components are designed in Jargon Writer using typical point-and-click, drag-and-drop techniques. Optional component attributes are specified by fill-in-the-blanks or select-an-option dropdown boxes.

Host-side business logic is coded in the application's normal programming language using your text editor of choice or any other IDE tools you prefer to use.

Both the client XML procedures and the host business logic procedures are deployed on your central server computer(s). No application files ever need to be installed on a client device. That is done by an automatic download when a user starts to run a procedure.

Developers of the client-side app need a good sense for designing user interfaces on small screens, and some experience with scripting languages, or a general programming background. Developers of the host-side procedures need experience in the business application and its normal programming language (e.g. PL/SQL for Oracle apps, 4GL for Progress apps, Java for J2EE servlet or JavaBean apps, VB or C++ for MS SQL Server apps).

Jargon Software offers onsite training that will enable your existing developers to be fully productive in as little as 2 days.

No. We do provide a set of host-side library routines to eliminate much of the tedious low-level communication programming that is needed to handle client/host interactions.

Most suppliers of transformational middleware are focused on providing a way to view web pages on wireless devices (content presentation). Jargon Software has targeted a different market, which is empowering remote personnel with interactive business applications that increase sales, reduce costs, and improve productivity and customer relationships.

Some middleware vendors provide device management software to do device software deployment, inventory tracking, and user profiling and access control that can be a useful addition to our capabilities.

Application programs are stored on the central server and are automatically deployed to client handheld devices as needed. No manual or hot-sync deployment of client apps to handheld devices is ever needed with Jargon Software technology.

In a basic installation, you simply hot-sync the Jargon Reader files from a PC to the handheld device.

For larger installations, more automated procedures may be desirable. This is one area where third-party middleware can help. Vendors such as Oracle and iAnywhere offer mobile device management software that can automate this procedure and enable central management and control of initial and upgrade deployment of Jargon Reader.

We support Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for http requests (known as the https protocol). SSL is a cryptographic protocol which provides server authentication and secure communications on the Internet. Also, client applications are often designed with a password-protected user login for user authentication.

Web services allow two different applications to talk to each other using XML text messages as the common language that they use to communicate. These apps could be on the same server, on two different servers within the same company, or between two different companies. But generally, they are host-side procedures, although Microsoft's .NET architecture also forces client applications to use this somewhat bulky and complicated method to communicate with server procedures.

The XML message that one app sends to a second one requests the second app to run some procedure (Remote Procedure Call or RPC), and possibly passes it some parameters as well. Then the second app returns the results within another XML message to the first app. This is similar to what a Jargon Reader client does when it makes a request to a server, only we are using basic HTTP format, just like a web browser.

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a syntax (a commonly agreed upon format) for how to structure and process the XML message content that gets exchanged between two applications. It also gets into security, authentication, etc which are big issues if your two apps are from two different companies (e.g. a customer using web services to place an order with a vendor).

UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) is a way for one application to find out what web services a second application supports, and to what level.

Because Jargon Software tools are mainly designed to provide client-side applications, not app-to-app integration (like bolting a CRM onto an ERP system), web services may be complementary to Jargon Software client applications but don't directly involve them. We don't see any advantage (at present anyway) in using web services for deploying our product. It wouldn't change how our client looks or works when it is talking to a server (except slowing it down and making it harder to program).

However, we always do our best to keep current with industry standards and will be closely following web services as the concept succeeds (or fails) in the marketplace over the next several years. It is still too early to tell what will happen, in our opinion. For more on Web Services, see this O'Reilly xml.com article which has some good explanations of the acronyms, concepts and architecture involved.

Most of them use browser-based "*ML" transformational middleware that requires an always-on wireless connection, which is useless in many situations. Others use an offline-only local database which requires an extra layer of complexity and daily upload/download operations to sync the local database with the central server. A few do some kind of blend of both methods, or yet other unusual approaches involving compression and caching of *ML files. No other vendor has the simple yet powerful architecture provided by Jargon Software (which is good since we have a patent pending on our technology).

For pricing information, see our current Price List. For ordering or eval information, see Ordering Information.

Providing real time access to critical corporate data in the field allows for real-time decision-making information and immediate update capability for critical corporate functions such as dispatch, order entry, customer data, product availability and shipment status, customer queries, and management dashboard data.

The cost to deploy this capability is usually less than $7 per user per day, including all Jargon Software licenses, hardware purchases, and airtime costs.

Let us show you how you can recoup that amount many times over from cost savings, additional orders and service calls, faster response to customers, less paperwork, and improved employee and customer satisfaction.