Find out why the RealObjects edit-on technology outperforms editor solutions based on Sun's JEditorPane control

At first sight, edit-on Pro and editor solutions based on Sun's javax.swing.JEditorPane control look similar. They are Java based, require Sun's Java VM 1.4.2, 1.5.0 or better on the client and in general offer similar toolbar/menu functions. Both run cross-platform, provide common editing features that web authors require and can be customized in terms of the UI and content processing.

Regarding the general editing features and functionality each editor solution might has its advantages and obstacles. So, when only looking at such 'shallow' things it is rather a question of taste what you finally choose. Of course also depending on pricing and licensing conditions, support services provided or other soft factors. However, when it comes to key enterprise features the differences are significantly, as highlighted in the section Why edit-on Pro?.

From the technological point of view there is one important difference, which also applies for WYSIWYG editor solutions based on Microsoft's IE DHTML editing control. Vendors that built their solution on Sun's javax.swing.JEditorPane do not have control over the editor's core, as the code is only available in binary form. So, actually they only provide the editor's toolbar as well as a simplified API.

In addition, the Swing control seems still buggy and has not been further developed by Sun for years. Try following: Insert a 3x3 table within a Swing control based editor solution. Then insert another 3x3 table in one of the cells. Now change the width of the nested cell/table using the mouse. The table will be broken, every time you do this. Vendors are not able to fix this problem, because they do not have control over the source code.

RealObjects edit-on Pro however does not use Sun's javax.swing.JEditorPane control as core editor component. edit-on Pro's core was entirely developed by RealObjects from scratch. We have developed our own parser, code generator, editor, renderer etc. in 100% pure Java without building upon third-party libraries. This allows us to quickly follow industry trends and customer demands, as we have full control over the editor's entire internal behavior and source code. For example, if edit-on Pro came with a table bug as described above, RealObjects would be able to fix it immediately.

IMPORTANT: Read also our customer case study "SafeHarbor builds RealObjects edit-on® JavaBean SDK 4 into HTML Content Management System", in order to find out why SafeHarbor Technology Corporation finally replaced their commercial javax.swing.JEditorPane editor solution (bought from a well-known vendor that actually proclaimed the leadership in online content creation for business) with the RealObjects JavaBean Rich Text Client.