GeneXus Olimar Version beta 2 released

The GeneXus Olimar version new beta -the next version to be released on the market- has been available for betatesters since last week. With this version, GeneXus.NET generates applications for both Windows and Web environments, thus taking GUI applications to their next evolutional stage.
This is very good news, especially for those Visual Basic and Visual Fox Pro developers, who wish to stick to the Windows environment and seek to bring their applications up to speed with the latest technologies. Actually, the simplification of application installation-related tasks (xcopy installation) is one of the advantages that comes with this change.
GeneXus objects with GUI interface (transactions, workpanels, etc), as well as procedures and reports can now be generated and executed on the .NET platform.These applications will have similar characteristics to, for instance, those generated in Visual Basic Client Server. Clients may be Windows 98 or higher. The only requirement is to have the .NET framework installed, which is available for free on the Microsoft site.

Concerning platforms, this version also includes a new version of the Java generator, which among other innovations, it allows workpanels' load event logic to be executed in the server. This new feature helps in the optimization process of a three-tier Java application by achieving a better performance in a more automatic way.

As far as the Web world is concerned, this beta includes a new GeneXus object -called Theme- that isolates graphic design from programming. This way, the GeneXus developer becomes more independent from design-related tasks, which from now on may be carried out by graphic designers.
The person in charge of design may create one or several "Theme" by giving the page commands the desired look (font type, color, etc.), and the programmer simply relates that particular "theme" to the objects that she/he has developed. Moreover, since program and design are no longer connected to each other, modifying GeneXus objects in order to modify design is no longer necessary. Changing the values in the related "theme" is enough.

More information:
http://www.genexus.com/olimar