Does anyone have any aspirin?
Yahoo! News Technology Headlines
Wednesday August 5 6:24 PM ET
IBM, Sun hope JavaOS for business will spawn new devices
By Lisa M. Bowman, ZDNet
Sun Microsystems Inc. and IBM Corp., looking to move beyond the hype of Java rings and into the reality of Java-centric business devices, on Wednesday unveiled their JavaOS for Business.
The companies say they designed the new OS for businesses planning to implement server-centric devices such as kiosks, card readers, and thin client computers. Sun and IBM announced their intention to collaborate on the product in March.
"This is a reality piece, compared with the hype," said David Gee, IBM's (NYSE:IBM) program director for Java Marketing. "This for us is part of our strategy of strong adoption of Java technology." The companies are offering a kit that will let device makers create machines which work with JavaOS for Business. The initial targets include the travel, banking, and retail industries. At presstime, the companies had not released a customer list.
Next year, Sun (Nasdaq:SUNW) plans to ship the product in its JavaStation while IBM will ship the software in its Network Station. The companies expect more devices and customers to surface in early 1999.
Companies that will offer JavaOS include middleware maker BEA Systems, Computer Associates International, Informix Corp.(Nasdaq:IFMX), Oracle Corp.(Nasdaq:ORCL), and Netscape Communications Corp. .(Nasdaq:NSCP),
Big selling job ahead
Some analysts question whether the new software will boost the market for such devices.
"The devices they're talking about, they're not for everyone," said Eileen O'Brien, a thin client analyst at IDG Corp.
She said JavaOS supporters will have to convince companies to buy into Java - and to consider the software as an alternative to Microsoft Corp.'s Windows CE.
"You don't replace an operating system overnight, no matter how neat it is," according to O'Brien.
CE is designed for smaller devices that run traditional Windows-like applications, while JavaOS is aimed at devices that get most of their power from a central server. Sun also has introduced Personal JavaOS, a smaller program designed for thin devices such as cellular phones and pagers.
Analysts agree that JavaOS for Business will drive more Java-based applications, at least in the three vertical markets it's targeting. "Until now, there really hasn't been a robust enough operating system to take advantage of Java," said Jerry Berry, a software analyst with ZD Market Intelligence. "One of the problems in getting the NC market to take off is there haven't been enough applications there."
Sun and IBM also have released a software developers kit, so programmers can create more JavaOS applications. |
