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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Patriot Scientific - PTSC -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Craig McNeill who wrote (4434)	3/4/1998 8:13:00 PM
From: cksla	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8581

craig- Sun may just have called "Wolf" one too many times; lacking in credibility over picojava. Good for Jim Turley. BTW, i believe someone at the microprocessor forum, per michelle balconi, other than Turley, who did one now nearly 2 years ago as some of you other old-timers will recall, is doing a piece on ptsc's little chip. ====== IBM-Java effort rates a yawn By Robert Lemos, ZDNN March 3, 1998 3:49 PM PST A deal between IBM and Sun to promote a dedicated Java processor -- known as picoJava -- met with mixed reactions from analysts on Tuesday. The most condemning response may have been the lack of interest from the industry. "This is the sixth licensee for the picoJava processor, and still, no products have been released yet," said Jim Turley, senior analyst with technology research firm MicroDesign Resources. "At some point, you just have to shrug your shoulders and say, 'So what?'" Sun and its subsidiary JavaSoft plugged the idea of the picoJava processoralmost a year ago. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, permits IBM Microelectronics to use the dedicated Java processor design from Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUN) in future products that the IBM (IBM)division builds for its customers. The core functions of the processor will be offered to all comers, the broadest license granted by Sun so far. The picoJava processor aims to solve the speed problems plaguing Java programs to date. On most PCs, a Java program has to be interpreted -- that is converted from Java to the PC's native language -- a process that can slow down the program by a factor of 10. Even programs that have been pre-converted should still run 5 times faster on a dedicated Java processor. Smaller appliances such as cell phones, car navigation computers and set-top boxes could benefit from the processor, if Sun can convince programmers to make Java the lingua franca of digital appliances. IBM certainly feels that adding the design will strengthen its position in these nascent markets. "We feel there is a new marketplace for intelligent networked appliances, and this is aimed squarely at that market," said Luis Arzubi, vice president of IBM Microelectronics. This, said Ravi Krishnan, an industry research analyst with semiconductor market watcher In-Stat, is the reason behind the deal. "Sun gets to promote its Java technology, while IBM gets technology to differentiate its network computing products," he said. According to In-Stat, the market for digital appliance processors will grow from $2.3 billion on 1997 to well over $5 billion in 2000. Will picoJava take a piece of the market? Only if IBM and others can start shipping a real product. When the processor was announced last year, four large consumer electronics makers -- NEC, Fujitsu, LG Semicon and Samsung -- jumped on board, followed by Rockwell. Still, none of the licensees have released a processor based on the design, never mind an actual "intelligent networking" product. Yet, with the strong muscle of the consumer electronics companies behind the chip, it is almost assured a niche in the rapidly growing digital appliance market. "The first four licensees are protected in a way," said MDR's Turley. "They all make there own appliances, so they can put whatever processor they want into them." ======= i know a little that is prepared to take part of the market in 1998! bob