Almost since the Java programming language was first unveiled in late 1995, it was heralded as being a major change in the way software would be created and used. By giving programmers more time to concentrate on programming instead of worrying about which computer platform an application would run on, Java was going to free them to create software that would change the way people use computers.

Yet in the years since its introduction by Sun Microsystems Inc., Mountain View, Calif., Java does not seem to have done that. In fact, many people complain that Java is too slow, that it takes a long time to download and launch Java programs--about as long as it takes to install ordinary software.

But a Canadian start-up called AlphaTrade.com may change that. The Vancouver, B.C., firm was formed in 1998 with the intention of creating a product called E-Gate--a highly automated stock-trading software system for the Web that it refers to as a "financial superstore." To that end, it is combining Java with other state-of-the-art computing technologies.

E-Gate is arriving at a time when on-line stock sales are becoming widely accepted. Charles Schwab's on-line stock site [www.myscwab.com] is typical; it lets investors purchase stocks using the standard secure Web communication protocol, keep a list of their stocks, and call up the latest stock quotes. The server, however, handles all the work of getting and manipulating data, which can become expensive as more customers join up and as more powerful servers are needed.

To compete, AlphaTrade.com's E-Gate has to offer a more creative approach to serving financial clients, as well as providing better services. In the latter category, it is providing high-end financial analysis applications of the kind used by professional stock traders, as well as customized financial information [see figure].

AlphaTrade will provide these capabilities using the power of the user's computer, but without the user having to install any software. Instead, logging onto the site and clicking on a request for a current analysis of a portfolio is enough to get AlphaTrade's server to download a Java applet, written in the JavaScript language, that automatically installs and boots itself to begin the analysis.

If an application capable of performing a complex financial analysis were downloaded as a single piece, this process could take some time; after all, such a program could run to tens if not hundreds of megabytes. But AlphaTrade's programmers have utilized the object-oriented nature of Java to break an application into much smaller modules--as little as 30 kB of code--that performs the basic function needed to get the application started.

Even so, it could be a fairly slow process if the user had to wait for a new module each time the next step in an application had to be performed. So AlphaTrade employs artificial intelligence, including fuzzy-logic techniques, to analyze the user's work patterns. Combining this with its knowledge of how an application is used and what modules have previously been downloaded, the system can choose those modules most likely to be needed next. Thus, while the user is working with the first module, AlphaTrade's server is downloading the pieces of the application that are most likely to be employed next.

This preselection of modules, although it may not work all the time, will work often enough for applications to run smoothly. After all, if another module is called for, its small size means that it will download fast. Another benefit of the modules' small size is that they do not require much bandwidth; thus users connected to the Web over, say, a 28.8-kb/s modem, will still be able to take advantage of the system. And as AlphaTrade's system becomes more familiar with an individual's usage patterns, its hit rate improves steadily.

To get a feel for how this technology works, visit AlphaTrade's Web site at www.alphatrade.com. There, a small ticker running stock quotes is to be found. A click on a button will move the ticker from the browser to the computer's desktop screen, where it will continue to run without the browser.

As for getting its E-Gate off and running, AlphaTrade will provide brokerage houses with private-label service for a fee or they may license the software and integrate it with their own on-line system. But the start-up will not stop there. As part of its financial portal, it is developing spreadsheet and word-processing applications that should be ready by September. These capabilities are needed not only for E-Gate, but are widely used in all areas of business, too. By letting workers on the move quickly get software anywhere they need it, Java will truly change computing.