Executable Content: Controlling the Potential Revolution

Todd Radermacher and Peter Kocks

Many believe that Internet-originated executable content (a.k.a. "mobile code"), such as Microsoft's ActiveX and, most conspicuously Java, will transform the World Wide Web from a static repository to a dynamic, interactive environment of electronic commerce. As the use of executable content is starting to become common within networks, it is important for system and network administrators to prepare for the challenge of managing and controlling such downloadable executable content. Although a future for electronic commerce based on this relatively new technology is by no means assured (AI and CASE are examples of "sure thing" technologies that fizzled out), it is nevertheless important for system administrators to be prepared. This article discusses why executable content is important to system administrators, then evaluates the system administration options that are available for controlling it.

The Strengths of Executable Content

Many people have touted the benefits of Java applets; and since Java has been the lightning rod for industry attention, we consider it representative of executable content.

Key benefits of executable content are:

• Programming ease - developers need to write programs only once. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) executes the same code on any hardware (which has the JVM ported to it).

• Platform independence - Java code can be executed on any platform to which the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) has been ported. System administrators can use a single binary for all their networked machines, regardless of the hardware architecture and operation system.