The premise behind Sun's new platform architecture, Jini, is
simplicity itself: Smart devices should be able to talk to
each other. A device that captures video, for example,
should be able to tell a device with a screen how to display
it. Two industrial machines should be able to interface with
each other automatically. Your PDA should be on speaking
terms with all of the above.
Technically, coming up with a solution that works for
everything from a sheet-metal stamper to a desktop
workstation is hard enough. But the technical challenges
pale in comparison to those of getting people to actually
agree on the solution. So many interoperability standards
have crashed and burned in the microcomputer era, victims of
political battles, competing corporate agendas, and lack of
foresight.
Will Jini succeed as a lingua franca for interdevice
communication? Sun has a good track record at getting cross-
platform technology to market (Java), yet Jini will have
strong competition -- from Microsoft's Universal Plug & Play
and Millennium projects, from Lucent's Inferno, and from
other corners.
Read Owen Thomas's report, "Party on, Jini," for the latest
news from Jini's big San Francisco launch event.
- Rafe Needleman, Editor
rafe-needleman@redherring.com
LATEST NEWS
* Party on, Jini
redherring.com
FURTHER READING
* Bottling Jini
redherring.com
* The Angler: Bill Joy on Sun's long road from Java to Jini
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