SIGNED JAVA APPLETS:
The new SAGE IIc program is a digitally "signed" Java applet. This means it has
been "signed" using a developer's signing certificate, issued by a
recognized Certificate Authority (CA). The SAGE IIc applet was signed
with a signing certificate issued by Thawte Digital Certificate Services.
Most browsers are configured to recognize certificates issued by a number of trusted
CA's, including Thawte and VeriSign. When a browser opens a Java applet signed with such a
certificate it will allow the user to grant certain security "permissions"
to that Java applet that it would not normally allow, such as the ability to
read and write files on the local system (PC).
This is exactly what SAGE IIc needs permission to do, in order to store and retrieve
diagrams on your computer. SAGE IIc contains only the code necessary to read and
write SAGE diagram files and cannot access other file types.
The first time you run SAGE IIc, your browser will
notify you that the applet has been digitally signed, and is requesting permission
to perform certain actions that may pose a security threat. You will be given the option
to either grant or deny permission to the applet. Most browsers will also provide
the option to remember this permission in the future, should you return to
this web site.
For more information about how Certificates work, see
Thawte's explanation of Developer Certificates.
For general information about Thawte Digital Certificate Services see their home page.
SAGE II DIAGRAM FILES:
Beyond simply retrieving a stored diagram, SAGE files actually contain
a set of diagrams for a given patient. SAGE II diagrams are stored in an
efficient format that allows for an unlimited number of images within
a single file. Diagrams are saved on the user's own computer, and can be
re-opened anytime using this web site.
Once a diagram is saved it cannot be altered, but with SAGE IIc users can create new
diagrams for the same patient by cloning any previous diagram. This provides
a quick way to create updated diagrams without having to start from scratch each time.
Both the original SAGE II version and the new SAGE IIc version are now capable of
opening existing SAGE II diagram files, but only the SAGE IIc version will create
and append SAGE diagram files.
*** In the future access to the new SAGE IIc version will only be available to registered users.
The original SAGE II version will remain freely available on an unrestricted basis.
REGISTRATION FOR SAGE IIc ACCESS:
Information about registering for SAGE IIc access will be posted here when it becomes available.