DM> The trick was to know which was which, 
DM> and transform them if required to the current platform.

So if you were writing third party software, you would need to know 
details about both sides of the transaction - and hope that the 
information you've been given is correct.  That sounds to me like 
walking across a frozen pond while carrying blocks of cement.

DM> Much like what Java does internally.  Serialise a java 
DM> object, and you always get the same orientation (can't 
DM> recall which).  Read it back on a different platform, and 
DM> the interpreter will automagically rearrange if required.

If you're reading a relational database on a mainframe, will Java 
correctly make adjustments for numeric types?

þ CMPQwk 1.42 999

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