Unlike Vibe, which relies on native class libraries for the GUI platforms Visix supports, BeanMachine generates platform-neutral applets for any conforming Java environment. The Visix approach does a better job of avoiding potential compatibility problems during the transition from Java 1.0.2 to the substantially more capable Java 1.1. BeanMachine lays these problems at the feet of its users until the Java community finishes this migration. BeanMachine is at no real disadvantage. Developers using multimedia will like BeanMachine's Gallery window of animations and other resources, as well as its simple, effective approach to automating animations and previewing their behavior.
Database connections are likewise easy to build and test.
BeanMachine also makes it easy for developers to provide robust error handling during tasks such as connecting to networked data. BeanMachine accelerates the process of publishing an applet by automatically generating HTML files, a great time-saver for less experienced developers. BeanMachine's visual authoring tools do an effective job of hiding the code that they generate, so we don't recommend BeanMachine to developers who actually want to learn the Java language in depth. However, BeanMachine could be effectively used by a creative team involving both multimedia artists and Java-literate programmers. The system includes facilities for adding custom Java methods for specialized application behaviors and automatically organizes a maintenance programmer's access to the source code.