Merging of BioAPI and BAPI . . .
If you look at the BioAPI release today, the role of I/O jumps out at you. I/O has now been "promoted" to insider status in the BioAPI alliance:
biz.yahoo.com
The difference between a "Promoter/Founder" (I/O, Identicator, etc.) and a "Contributor," according to the BioAPI web site, is that while both give time and resources, etc, and support, the Promoters also "foster the design and creation of an API for Biometric technologies which meets the needs of the broadest Biometrics user and supplier population." In other words, I/O, Identicator and some others will now be on the BioAPI design team, while NRID will be more like a reviewer of the design.
To me, the Promoter/Founders have the inside track on this API . . . and it's clear now that this will be THE API for the industry. I do expect the next big news, whenever it comes, is that Microsoft is supporting the API in Windows 2000. Overall, today's announcement is great news for the biometric industry, since it shows a successful standardization is taking place.
From NRID's perspective, though, the news isn't all that great. HAAPI has gone by the wayside and without HAAPI, NRID is unlikely to occupy a pole position in the race to provide software to the mainstream market. Instead, the BioAPI Promoter/Founders occupy the inside tracks. Not only that, but there are some big horses on the inside, and it doesn't seem to be all that hard to put up the money to enter this particular race, so we could see more competition arriving.
I recognize you are lashed to the mast of NRID, but maybe some other readers of this post aren't.
|
