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Technology Stocks : Voice-on-the-net (VON), VoIP, Internet (IP) Telephony -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Stephen B. Temple who wrote (2255)	1/5/1999 10:16:00 AM
From: Stephen B. Temple	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3178

I dream of Jini > Plug In, Connect Anything By James E. Gaskin Special To Inter@ctive Week As Java was designed to allow any program to "run anywhere," Jini is Sun Microsystems Inc.'s attempt to "connect anything" to anything else, at any time. "Spontaneous networking" is the phrase Sun uses to describe Jini. Technically 48,000 bytes of Java software code, Jini is designed to let Java-enabled devices communicate simply without the traditional network headaches of drivers, complex installation processes or configuration. But, like Java, Jini still is seeking acceptance. Colin Mahony, Internet computing strategies analyst at The Yankee Group, said: "Two things must happen for Jini to work. First, Sun must release the platform details. Second, hardware manufacturers must make Jini-enabled products." But America Online Inc. could speed up adoption. AOL's desire for a product to compete against Microsoft Corp.'s WebTV Networks Inc. hardware and software would likely involve Java inside digital TV devices. Adding Jini to the set-top box and peripherals such as printers and storage devices would allow users to attach these devices easily. William Blundon, analyst at The Extraprise Group Inc., said: "AOL should accelerate Jini's adoption. My estimate of Jini's arrival with only Sun involved was three to five years. Adding AOL cuts that time estimate in half." Jini's small memory footprint makes adoption by inexpensive consumer devices feasible, and Sun has 30 manufacturers of telephones and other network devices, including Canon Corp., Ericsson Inc. and Motorola Inc., involved in the program. Sun's goal is to match the ease of plugging a telephone into the wall and immediately receiving dial tone and compatibility with all other phones with Jini-enabled network devices - to receive "network dial tone." The time for Jini may be right. "The existing infrastructure will make the difference in Jini succeeding," Mahony said. A telecommuter creating a presentation at home and sending it to a printer at the neighborhood Kinko's Inc. branch requires network connections on both ends. The home user wouldn't require knowledge of printer type or printer driver, however, if Jini handles the configuration details.