Good question. It would appear to have the potential of becoming an alternative way to develop Lonworks applications. The potential of Jini gaining market acceptance for Lonworks applications is probably a long way off in my opinion. Frankly, Jini is going to be applied in distributed computing long before it becomes a threat in the Lonworks target market. But like any software developer, ALYA will need to watch this development very closely. Hopefully, ALYA will also come to market the quickest with Jini versions of their products.
Here's a description...
Any object with a computer chip and a
network connection could exist as a
service on a network using Jini
technology. Potential device types are
virtually unlimited, and could range from
mainframe computers to credit-card-size
smart cards.
Specifically, any object with
a Java virtual machine could become such
a network device -- desktop and portable
computers, printers, scanners, Webcams,
disk drives, DVD and CD players,
phones, VCRs, TVs, alarm systems, heart
monitors, heating and air-conditioning
systems, automobile engine and
dashboard computers, even kitchen
appliances."
When connected to a network using Jini
technology, via a simple phone jack or
wireless transmitter for example, all of
these devices can offer their capabilities
and services to each other. |
