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Technology Stocks : Phone.com [PHCM] -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ynot who wrote (365)	8/28/1999 2:48:00 AM
From: Ellen	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1080

could hdml be supplanted by java or other options? I honestly don't know. There's plenty of room for different options/choices and time will tell, I suppose. Personally, I really am excited about the technology that Phone.com has developed and, to date, the acceptance & use of its standards. The sheer number of companies joining the WAP Forum and endorsing and/or using its standards makes me sit up and take notice. But, as I said, time will tell. And I do keep my eye on competition...:-) Ellen

To: ynot who wrote (365)	8/28/1999 1:54:00 PM
From: Ellen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1080

To hopefully better answer your question - and for my own understanding - I did some looking around and here's what I've come up with so far for you to read & review, without getting tooooo technical. The fact that so many are adopting the WAP standards, as opposed to Java, reinforces (for me) the limitations of Java. Anyway, hope this is helpful reading into the history of why the WAP standard is being so strongly embraced... dataonsms.com ----------- news.com redherring.com boards.redherring.com@^163@.ee6b3eb redherring.com ----------- redherring.com An excerpt: JAVA: WRITE ONCE, RUN ON WINDOWS ONLY By Anthony B. Perkins The Red Herring magazine November 1997 The Wall Street Journal drove a stake in the heart of the anti-Microsoft camp in late August with a front-page story that challenged the long-term viability of the Java technology dream. The story's thesis was, in essence, that Java hasn't lived up to its early promise as a lingua franca allowing any kind of computer using any kind of operating system to run any kind of program, thereby freeing the world from the grip of the Microsoft monopoly. The software developers who were interviewed for the story groaned endlessly about Java's performance problems and glitches. The Journal's findings were supported by a separate research effort conducted by Zona Research of Redwood City. Of the 279 corporations Zona surveyed, 50 percent indicated concern about the feasibility of Java's "write once, run anywhere" promise, and 43 percent worried that Java might not be fast enough. In reality, developing a cross-platform version of a Java application today often involves weeks of tedious work because of incompatibilities between the virtual machines written for each operating system. (For those who haven't been keeping up, a virtual machine is the thin layer of software that runs on top of each operating system and interprets Java applications, or "applets.") The idea that applications can be deployed over the Internet or over corporate intranets and run on any platform will, of course, always have an appeal because it would allow companies to manage and update their software applications centrally, thus saving them potentially enormous administrative costs. ----------- redherring.com Excerpts: Both WirelessKnowledge and the Motorola-Cisco deal aim to outfit wireless data centers, a business that could become lucrative as telcos build out Internet-capable wireless networks. ... BOW TO YOUR CORNER Motorola and Cisco are playing the more-open-than-thou card, in a bid to win over telcos nervous about being locked into Microsoft's platforms. While WirelessKnowledge was launched amid promises of being "agnostic" about operating systems and wireless transmission systems, its parents have obvious vested interests in Microsoft's Windows NT operating system and Qualcomm's cell-division multiplexing architecture (CDMA) wireless protocol. As well, WirelessKnowledge's email and information-management services are built around Microsoft Exchange -- to the exclusion of other communications applications, including even Qualcomm's Eudora email software. It's too early to tell how open Microsoft and Cisco's venture will be, however; the companies promised a white paper outlining new protocols in the spring, saying they would comply with earlier protocols like WAP. ----------- redherring.com allnetdevices.com ----------- allnetdevices.com Nokia Upgrades To WAP 1.1 August 25, 1999 -- Nokia has upgraded mobile operators who are trailing the company's Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) infrastructure products and content to version 1.1 of the specification. The updated WAP spec was released by the WAP Forum on June 30 after vendors were reluctant to commit to version 1.0, complaining that it was difficult to work with. While WAP has received a lot of attention, few WAP devices or technologies are currently available. The widespread shift to WAP 1.1 infrastructure products such Nokia's is expected to speed acceptance of the standard for devices. A variety of vendors have announced they will release WAP 1.1 smart phones and infrastructure products by the end of the year. Related stories: WAP To Dominate Smart Phones: Study WAP Spec Updated