Yahhh! I don't know about news in Denmark either but I think this is some excellent news:
(Online News, 01/15/99 06:57 PM)
Standards body nixes alternate Java plan
By Carol Sliwa
Anyone concerned about Java fracturing in the embedded space can rest
easy -- for now, at least.
The National Committee for Information Technology Standards (NCITS)
early this morning rejected a proposal from a Hewlett-Packard Co.-led
group to develop a real-time extension for Java.
The HP-led Real-Time Java Working Group, which also includes Microsoft
Corp. and NewMonics, Inc., was formed in October and aims to develop a
real-time extension so that embedded devices using Java can
interoperate.
But the group's standards effort had put it at odds with Sun
Microsystems Inc., which is leading a similar real-time extension effort
through its own development process. Sun's call for experts has been
extended to Jan. 22. IBM is a key collaborator in Sun's real-time Java
effort.
If the two groups had moved forward with their parallel development
efforts, users might have been confronted with differing -- and
potentially incompatible -- versions of Java for embedded devices.
The HP-led Real-Time Java Working Group hasn't decided what its next
step will be, several group spokespeople said. The group is meeting
today to discuss its options, which include resubmitting a proposal to
NCITS, joining the Sun development effort or seeking out another
standards body.
"It's certainly not a group consensus that we're going to join into
Sun's process. We're looking for ways that we can work with Sun," said
Kelvin Nilsen, chief technology officer for NewMonics, an Ames,
Iowa-based maker of Java virtual machines for embedded devices.
Members of the Real-Time Java Working Group still have concerns about
Sun's overall control of the development process, he said.
The HP-led group late last year had elected to submit a proposal for a
real-time Java extension to NCITS for consideration, and NCITS's initial
vote supported that effort. Ten NCITS members voted in the affirmative
-- enough to pass the measure.
But negative votes from Sun, IBM and Sybase Inc. triggered a 10-day
reconsideration period. IBM raised concerns about the potentially
harmful effects of having multiple development efforts, and Sybase cited
potential infringements on Sun's intellectual property rights.
Both the HP- and Sun-led sides engaged in intensive lobbying during the
reconsideration, and in the end, Sun was victorious. Seven NCITS members
voted in favor of the proposal, six voted no, five abstained and one
didn't indicate a choice. To pass, the measure needed 10 affirmative
votes (signifying a majority of the 19 eligible NCITS voting members)
plus a two-thirds majority.
The voting went as follows:
•Yes: Apple, AT&T, Compaq, HP, ICCP, Perennial, Unisys
•No: IBM, Lucent, Share, Sun, Sybase, Xerox
•Abstain: U.S. Department of Defense, Sony, Panasonic, National
Institute of Standards and Technology, Hitachi
•Not voting: Bull HN |
