Another article on Sun's Jini
I wonder the time frame to bring a product to market using Jini?
canoe.com
Sun Micro to uncork its Jini
Java-based system would simplify networks, offer
antidote to Microsoft
By SIMON AVERY
The Financial Post
In a race to set standards for the next generation of computing,
Sun Microsystems Inc. will today launch its much-anticipated Jini
technology, which promises to turn a broad range of electronic
products into intelligent devices by linking them through a
network.
If Jini (pronounced genie) does all that Sun Microsystems
promises, the new technology will not only dramatically simplify
human interaction with computers, it will also unleash a
remarkable amount of pent-up computing power into the hands of
consumers, and quite possibly shift the balance of power in the
computer world.
"We're making the world come alive," declares Sun's chief
researcher, John Gage. "We have a way where anything can work
with anything else."
Jini technology is a completely different way of using computing
power than today's system where all the logic and processing are
controlled by a centralized operating system.
Devices programmed with Jini's code, from computers to
mobile phones and kitchen appliances to TVs, could speak to
each other on a network regardless of underlying operating
systems. What's more, says Sun, they will be as easy to use as a
toaster.
The devices are automatically configured when they plug into
the network and once they're connected will be able to "borrow"
intelligence from other devices, benefiting from an eventual huge
federation of Jini-empowered computers and products.
"As devices get attached to the network they go through a very
simple announcement protocol that says, 'I'm here, this is the type
of service I'd like to offer' to any other participant on the
network," says Mike Clary, co-creator of Jini.
For example, a digital camera could plug in and find unused
storage capacity somewhere else on the network, exchange
interface codes, and store an image file.
Networks could be as simple as a few gadgets plugged into the
home PC, or as vast as the Internet. "It's a very amorphous type of
environment that says you only use what you need to use when
you need to use it," Mr. Clary says.
"Jini is definitely the beginning of a new era in computing. But
Jini itself may not get us there," said Matthew Nordan, a
computing strategies analyst at Forrester Research Inc. in
Framingham, Mass.
Analysts say Sun has been the leader in this field but arch-enemy
Microsoft Corp. has realized it cannot afford to ignore a
technology that could lead to the next generation of computers
bypassing today's operating systems.
This month, Microsoft introduced its Universal Plug and Play
initiative, an attempt to define a set of common interfaces for any
device plugged into a computer network.
Jini is already available for download off the Internet, while
Universal Plug and Play is not scheduled to appear in
development form until April at the earliest.
"How the market will shape out in terms of whether its ends up
being a Microsoft or a Sun Jini world is too early to tell," said
Wayne Surdam, director of marketing for Cisco Systems Inc.
network products. "Neither one really exists yet."
However, Mr. Surdam foresees one of the two standards
winning out as early as within the next six months.
Today in San Francisco, Sun will introduce more than two
dozen partners that have plans to program Jini on embedded
microprocessors in their products. Among them are Canon Inc.,
Cisco, Epson America Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., Nokia AB,
Philips Electronics NV, Seagate Technology Inc., and Sony Corp.
The announcement is an effort by Sun to show the world that the
biggest brand names in consumer and office products support Jini
as the standard for the next generation of computing. "It's all about
starting the rock rolling down the hill," Mr. Clary says.
However, there's still plenty of inertia to overcome. As Mr.
Nordan noted, "The partnerships don't mean a whole lot because
they are not exclusive."
Many hardware and electronic firms are looking at competing
technology in the works besides Sun's Jini, hedging their bets so
they are ready to ship whatever technology ultimately prevails.
Cisco, a leading maker of network equipment, is just one
company that has adopted an agnostic position and is supporting
both Jini and Universal Plug and Play for the moment.
Cisco wants to provide the residential gateway to the new world
of interconnected appliances by supplying high-speed broadband
access and a variety of software to synchronize and secure
moving data.
"We're very interested in working with all standards," says
Robba Benjamin, vice-president of consumer products at Cisco.
At Jini's official launch today, Sun will also present a licensing
model dubbed "community source," which is designed to bring as
many developers on board as possible.
The strategy is a continuation of the open source approach Sun
used for its revolutionary software platform Java, which is now
used by an estimated one million programmers.
The company will offer free access to Jini for internal use and
research purposes. But companies that want to build it into
consumer products will have to sign an agreement to keep the
technology compatible with other versions.
"Sun is taking the high road," said Mr. Nordan. "The benefit is a
reputation that is antithetical to Microsoft's, that is the yin to
Microsoft's yang."
Although Sun says Jini will principally benefit the company by
nurturing larger networks -- for which Sun sells computers,
software, and services -- Sun has also been considering levying a
small fee on every product shipped with Jini inside.
But Mr. Nordan says such a move would be a mistake. Sun
cannot risk charging even a few cents per licence because any fee
is multiplied four or five time through the production and
distribution channels and adds to the cost at the retail end. That's
enough to "make or break a product," he says.
For its part, Microsoft is using its Universal Plug and Play
initiative to present a new face to critics who say Microsoft
wields too much power and control over the industry.
Universal Plug and Play is being built to Internet standards, not
the proprietary Windows operating system, says Alec Saunders,
Microsoft's group planning manager for intelligent appliances.
"We're going to work with the licensing bodies to make sure this
is freely licensable by anybody." |
