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http://java.sun.com/features/2001/12/yir.html
MAKING SENSE OF THE YEAR 2001
THE JAVA.SUN.COM YEAR IN REVIEW
by the java.sun.com staff
December 24, 2001 -- When readers of java.sun.com look back
on the year 2001, what will they remember?
The JavaOneSM conference in Japan, the JXTA initiative,
another JavaTM 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EETM) release?
The summaries that follow are snapshots of our world as it
spins towards the new year. With so many important stories
to tell, we explored four far-reaching themes -- tools,
technology, trends, and innovation. The truth be told, all
one hundred thirty feature stories that we posted during the
year are variations on a single theme: your success in
creating and applying software that is portable, efficient,
robust, and secure.
To discover how others have profited from significant,
even revolutionary changes to the Java platform and JiniTM
technology, select one or more themes from our annual review,
or view our complete feature article archive for the year:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tools
Technology
Trends
Innovation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tools
Imagine a world of cutting-edge applications that you can
access from anywhere around the globe at any time. What if you
could select an icon or link and launch full-featured
applications that were always available and up-to-date? Empower
Your Applications with JavaTM Web Start Software.
Dream no longer. Java Web Start software can launch powerful
applications that allow businesses and developers to become
more productive than ever before. It has several features worth
highlighting: guaranteed Java runtime environment (JRE)
compatibility, enhanced security features, and ease of
deployment.
Java Web Start software allows applications to specify which
JRE should run them and which versions of the JRE can run
simultaneously. If the JRE required to run the application is
not already installed, Java Web Start software can
automaticallydo
wnload and install it. You can install more
than one JRE. Java Web Start software always uses the right one
to run the application.
The benefits of J2EE compatibility have never been more
critical or clear. The J2EE platform defines the open standard
for developing multi-tier enterprise applications that you can
leverage as web services over the net using the Sun Open Net
Environment (SunTM ONE). The Promise of Compatibility.
The J2EE platform development model simplifies application and
web service development by specifying a modular object
component model, enabling the development of multiple J2EE
application servers to handle many development and run-time
services, and applications that run across J2EE compatible
application server platforms. The J2EE Compatibility Test Suite
(CTS) of more than 5,000 tests ensures portability of
applications across application server platforms. J2EE platform
compatibility allows developers to choose from a broad range of
development tools and to re-use components created from
existing applications or vendors providing Enterprise
JavaBeanTM (EJBTM) components.
Today, enterprise applications must integrate services from a
variety of suppliers with a variety of applications models and
standards. Integrating these resources can take more than half
the application development time. As a single standard that can
sit on top of a wide range of existing enterprise systems --
database management systems, transaction monitors, naming and
directory services, for example -- the J2EE platform breaks
barriers between current enterprise systems.
The J2EE platform revolutionized computing. Java technology is
key to cross-platform independence and the latest version of
the platform enables companies to integrate their legacy
systems with evolving standards and allows them to deploy a
competitive architecture for Web services. Strengthen
ing the
Foundation.
The J2EE 1.3 platform significantly extends the enterprise
capabilities of the Java platform. Its feature enhancements
make it easier to build and support Web service enabled
e-business systems. It is a foundation upon which developers
can build sophisticated network computing architectures and
create services on demand. These services encompass the
traditional tightly coupled services of today and will evolve
to include Web services, peer-to-peer services, and services
yet to be imagined.
With so much left to accomplish, developers could use some
help. Help is on the way. The Sun Java CenterTM has released
the J2EE Patterns Catalog. The catalog contains J2EE platform
solutions for common problems faced by architects using Java
technology. Piecing It Together.
"When we began offering J2EE [platform] solutions to customers,
we made the collective decision to capture reusable designs in
the form of patterns, so we could enable our customers to
become more productive with as much design reuse as possible,"
states John Crupi, chief Java technology architect, Sun Java
Center, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "We were so successful in our
early projects, that we decided to develop the Java Patterns
Catalog and offer it to the community."
With wide experience developing Java technology-based solutions
for customers such as Ford Motor Company, J Crew, the U.S.
Army, and E*TRADE Securities, Inc., the Sun Java Center
continues to lead the charge by delivering tools for extending
the Java platform.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technology
We're moving towards a future of computing based on
sophisticated network software that will bring us what we need,
when we need it, no matter where we are, through any device we
choose. Be it wireless phone, PDA, or PC. Java Technology
Today.
This movement aligns with Sun's founding vision of open network
computing, but Sun is not alone in promoting this vision any
longer. Every major technology company -- Sun, Microsoft, IBM,
Oracle, Hewlett-Packard -- is talking up the benefits of Web
services, and every major technology company has a Web services
strategy to prove it.
SOAP, UDDI, and ebXML are some of the new technology standards
emerging to help make this common vision a reality.
Java technologies plus XML and other protocols can be combined
to create web services within a network. This new model, based
on open standards, allows developers to create best-of-breed
solutions from compatible products and reusable components.
Creating Web Services with Java Technology and XML.
The Java platform and XML are two open industry standards that
enable the world of B2B ecommerce. The Java API for XML
messaging (JAXM) helps package, route, and transport XML and
non-XML business data across a number of key communication
infrastructures.
JAXM supports a variety of XML messaging methods, such as SOAP
and ebXML. It provides a simple, natural, and generic API that
allows Java technology programmers to add various
standards-based XML messaging capabilities to their
applications.
With Java technology's many products and APIs, it is easy to
forget that a programming language and runtime environment that
are significant in their own right lies beneath application.
Just Java technology, without any bells or whistles , enabled
Jellyvision, a gaming company, to create award-winning
interactive experiences. Jellyvision is sweet on Java
Technology.
When Jellyvision took its development in-house in 1998, no
off-the-shelf tools met its needs. After checking out tools
like Flash and Macromedia Director, they decided to build their
own tools, using Java technology.
The typical Jellyvision product consists of two interdependent
parts: the multimedia engine and the game logic. The multimedia
engine is written in C++. It handles the audio mixing, the
compression and decompression of content, and bit management.
The game logic, which can be very complex and specifies the
actions and interactions that define the game, is written
entirely in Java programming language. The Java Native
Interface (JNI) binds the two layers together.
Jellyvision's use of JNI technology allows code written in the
Java and C++ languages and built to meet the specific
requirements of two differentdo
mains (platform-independent
game logic and platform-specific multimedia support) to
cooperate seamlessly in the execution of the Jellyvision game.
The versatility and scalability of the Java programming
language also caught the eye of Dr. Ben Bederson, director of
the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of
Maryland. Bederson leveraged earlier work to create a powerful
and exciting replacement for the traditional digital image
photo browser PhotoMesa. The application, and its open source
algorithms, are now available todo
wnload. View with a Zoom.
PhotoMesa's zoomable interface was built using Bederson's Jazz
technology. Thedo
wnloadable Java 2 platform-based Jazz
framework is a technology developed by Bederson and his staff
at the Human-Computer Interaction Lab. Jazz is a toolkit for
supporting structured two-dimensional data, zooming, and event
handling. Jazz supports structured two-dimensional graphics,
and offers a canvas that can be used wherever a Java Foundation
Classes/Swing widget can be used.
J.F.C./Swing components have also found their way into another
groundbreaking product. SavaJe XE is not only a virtual machine
(VM) running on proprietary native operating system, but a
complete 32-bit, multitasking operating system, designed from
the ground up to run Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SETM)
technology-based applications on advanced RISC machine
microprocessor devices, such as Compaq iPAQ and Psion netBook.
High-end Handhelds.
Two years in development, the SavaJe XE OS offers a Java
virtual machine and class libraries tightly integrated with
highly efficient kernel designed explicitly for the StongARM
and XScale processors.
By enabling developers to seamlessly port between J2SE
platforms, SavaJe XE spurs faster, cheaper, and more
feature-rich development cycles -- as well as solidifying Suns'
"Write Once, Run AnywhereTM" credo. With SavaJe XE, enterprises
can take the J2SE technology-based applications and deploy them
on hand-held devices -- with performance that is compatible to
Java technology on the desktop.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trends
With millions of developers using Java technology worldwide,
the Java platform has become a guiding force for the industry
generally, and the standard for deployment and development on
the Web. We are moving from a world of big applications to
software components that provide a service to the user.
Catching the Next Wave of the Internet.
"Over the years, network computing has evolved through the
fundamental principles of decomposition and specialization,"
says Greg Papadopoulos, Sun's senior vice president and chief
technology officer. "At each stage of network development, we
have to work out a new model and set of patterns for how to
build the next system. Making the Net Work.
"Network computing needs to be more social, democratic,
probabilistic, not deterministic," adds Bill Joy, Sun's chief
scientist. "It's not about the technology dictating how we
interact but about the way you and I want to interact with the
technology."
The growth of the Web has begun, and the challenges are
significant. No one technology can actually address all the
information, content, and data on the expanded Web.
Project Juxtapose (JXTA, pronounced "juxta") is an
industry-wide research project led by Sun to enable developers
to create flexible, interoperable applications that are
available on a wide variety of devices, overcoming the
limitations of peer-to-peer (P2P) distributed computing. Joy
Poses JXTA Initiative.
The goal of Project JXTA is to leverage distributed computing
by providing direct access to resources from one node (device)
on the network to another, without the control of a centralized
server.
The newest of a trilogy that further enables distributed
computing, JXTA joins Java and Jini technologies. "As we think
about distributed computing happening on the network, we are
very encouraged with Java technology," Joy says. Java
technology allows developers to execute computations on
different machines without worrying about operating system
limitations and the ability to move code around a network. XML
technology allows data to move across the network in a widely
used format. Additionally, Jini network technology enables
spontaneous networking of a wide variety of hardware, software,
and services.
Several of the core components of JXTA technology are analogous
to key features of the UNIX operating system. According to Joy,
who pioneered the development of UNIX: "the requirements of the
JXTA model are very much in line with the capabilities of
existing software technologies, such as UNIX, Java technology,
and XML." Project JXTA Posing for Success.
Joy expects to see many different implementations of JXTA
technology emerge in the months ahead. And Sun intends to let
the market determine which ones prevail. "We are committed to
an open source community process that lets all interested
parties and developers define, extend, and refine JXTA," Mike
Clary, JXTA project manager says.
JXTA for the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) is a new
project of the JXTA development community to extend distributed
computing to small devices such as cell phones, personal
digital assistants (PDAs) and Pocket PCs. JXTA for the Java 2
Platform, Micro Edition (J2METM).
JXTA for the J2ME platform aims to bring JXTA functionality to
small footprint devices that use the Connected Limited Device
Configuration (CLDC) and the Mobile Information Device Profile
(MIDP).
As the next generation of small devices gains more capabilities
such as processing power, persistent storage, and network
bandwidth, the full capabilities of the JXTA platform can be
migrated to JXTA for the J2ME platform.
Simon Phipps, chief technology evangelist at Sun, states that
the world we share is being shaped by the Net Effect. "What we
are seeing in the computer industry are exponential growth
opportunities," he says. Building the Swarm.
In addition to deriving value from the number of people who
join the network, there are many levels to each network, such
as the web browser layer, web services layer, and the wireless
layer, from which exponentially growing value can be derived.
So as more and more layers are discovered or devised, the
opportunity for existing and new business grows, not just as
the second power, but as the third power, the fourth power, and
so on -- to the nth power. Open standards are the only way to
make value grow exponentially and cost grow linearly, Phipps
says.
"It is not about technology, it is about simple math. If the
connections cost you money and time, you will never be able to
get value faster than the costs grow," he explains.
According to Phipps, the future of web services is based on the
concept of swarms. Swarms represent the process through which
access devices, services on servers, and data networks will
increasingly find each other and build exactly the service the
user needs, when the user needs it. Todo
so, there will be a
spontaneous federation of services and the creation of the hive
mind -- a process by which devices will work together to
prepare solutions for users' needs, perhaps even before users
know they need them.
"What lies at the heart of a service driven network is the idea
of using services to build smart services. Services will in the
future spontaneously federate -- spontaneous meaning they will
find each other dynamically across the network, and federate
meaning that they will build through their interaction exactly
the custom smart device you need, exactly when you need it,"
Phipps says.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Innovation
"It is difficult to write history, once you have become part of
it," Ed Zander beamed to over 15,000 developers, business
people, and reporters during the 2001 JavaOne developer
conference in San Francisco. Zander, president and chief
operating officer for Sun Microsystems, Inc., and Rich Green,
vice president and general manager for software development,
delivered a conference keynote that demonstrated why Java
technology has come of age. Java Technology: the Universal
Language.
Surrounded by a sea of developers, Zander and Green moved
confidently across the stage, reflecting the spirited growth of
the Java platform. Eighteen years ago, Java technology was a
gleam in James Gosling's eye. Today it is a strapping youth,
ready to challenge the world.
With Java technology now finding its way into every industry
and functional niche, it comes as no surprise to discover Java
applets, applications, and servlets being used in the fields
such as medical imaging, genetics, astronomy, photography, and
search and rescue.
AnatLine, a system consisting of an anatomical image database
and an online browser for accessing data, was developed by a
five-member team at the National Library of Medicine's (NLM)
National Center of Biomedical Communications. "The NLM is the
largest repository and distributor of medical and health
information in the U.S.," explains Earl Henderson, deputy
director of the Center. "Its databases are accessed by national
and international health providers, as well as academics and
research professionals. The Center is a research division of
the NLM with programs targeted for advancing the collection,
storage, and distribution of biomedical information. In Living
Color.
Researchers and engineers at the Center have designed an image
database that captures hundreds of cross-sectional images of
the male and female body. "Following the initial prototype of
the system, " says Henderson, "we have replaced all our C++
code with Java technology, and are coding all new modules in
the Java programming language. We are currently using Java
applets, applications, servlets, the Java 3D API, and the Java
Advanced imaging API in our high-resolution display module."
This year, Java technology is making its mark in another
medical field: genetics.
While the mapping of the human genome was officially completed
in June of 2000, those engaged in the fields of computational
biology and bioinformatics know that the real work has just
begun. A rough draft of the sequences contained in our DNA has
now been completed, but the next step is one of meaningfully
interpreting this massive volume of information -- a task that
amounts to deciphering a text of three billion characters, in a
semi-unknown language, and without the aid of spaces or
punctuation. Exploring the New Frontier, Part 1.
In short, genomics, and the companion study of proteonomics --
mapping and understanding the proteins coded for a given genome
-- present genetic researchers with computational tasks of
scales never before seen. Without the aid of massive databases,
and networked computational systems, it would effectively be
impossible to process and interpret the avalanche of biological
data now being generated on an almost daily basis. And with
genomic researcher centers scattered all across the globe, in
both private and academic settings, using a myriad of different
hardware and operating systems, the secure, network-aware,
cross-platform power of Java technology is increasingly proving
indispensable to this ongoing task of reverse-engineering out
inner-workings. Exploring the New Frontier, Part 2.
Physiome Sciences, Inc.'s computer-based biological simulation
technologies, and Bioinformatics Solutions, Inc.'s Pattern
Hunter, a genomic search and analysis facility, are just two
examples of the growing adoption of Java technology in the
fields of computational biology and bioinformatics.
This year, java developers empowered us to consider the
definition of life and allowed us to reflect on the origins of
the universe.
Scientists and engineers from Argentina, Australia, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, and the United States shared
the first images from Gemini North with the rest of the world
this summer. The telescope anddo
me, which weighs 1,015 metric
tons, collects images that set the standard for observatories
around the world. Exploring the Universe.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. hardware, the SolarisTM 8 Operating
Environment, and Java technology control every movement of this
intricate machine. They regulate a range of motion that
includes the deft rotation of the massive telescope and the
stepwise focus of its galaxy-gathering cameras.
Gemini North permits modern astronomers to look beyond the
Milky Way to calculate the distance, age, and chemistry of
galaxies once hidden from view.
Using a miniature, clip-on digital camera, a handset, and a
JavaTM technology-based server solution powered by Lightsurf
Technology, Phillippe Kahn proves how all-encompassing Sun
technology can be. Kahn snapped a picture of Sun President and
CEO Ed Zander, and then
demonstrated the ability to wirelessly
(and instantly) share that digital image between digital
handheld devices. Picture Postcards from the Cutting Edge.
The LightSurf Technology Platform (LTP) is a suite of tightly
coupled and integrated server ecommerce, and wireless device
components that is based on open industry standards. LTP is a
complete end-to-end wireless digital solution that allows
photos and other rich digital media to be instantly and
automatically transmitted from any wireless device (cellular
phone, PDA, or digital camera) to any other wireless or wired
device.
Watching the collapse of the World Trade Center towers 1 and 2
is perhaps the most compelling image of the year. Java
technology was on the scene within hours of the first
explosion. Up from the Ashes.
Researchers at ground zero guided remote-control robots by
sighting passageways in the rubble with virtual reality goggles
or video screens, then
thrusting joysticks forward or backward,
right or left to steer the small tank-like machines along
crevices that rescuers considered too dangerous to investigate.
Many of the robots, prototypes for a technology that redefines
search and rescue, are driven by Java technology.
Fortunately, researchers and developers have heeded the call.
"Robotics is a difficult field," Dr. Robin Murphy, director of
the Perceptual Robotics Laboratory, says. "It has started to
engage the interest of people who write software. They've just
begun to understand how challenging and worthy it is."
Dr. Murphy's words apply to robotics and all the fields in
which Java technology plays a role: together, we are just
begin
ning to understand how challenging and worthy the work
before us truly is.
See Also
Feature Archive
(http://java.sun.com/features/)
MAKING SENSE OF THE YEAR 2001
THE JAVA.SUN.COM YEAR IN REVIEW
by the java.sun.com staff
December 24, 2001 -- When readers of java.sun.com look back
on the year 2001, what will they remember?
The JavaOneSM conference in Japan, the JXTA initiative,
another JavaTM 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EETM) release?
The summaries that follow are snapshots of our world as it
spins towards the new year. With so many important stories
to tell, we explored four far-reaching themes -- tools,
technology, trends, and innovation. The truth be told, all
one hundred thirty feature stories that we posted during the
year are variations on a single theme: your success in
creating and applying software that is portable, efficient,
robust, and secure.
To discover how others have profited from significant,
even revolutionary changes to the Java platform and JiniTM
technology, select one or more themes from our annual review,
or view our complete feature article archive for the year:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tools
Technology
Trends
Innovation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tools
Imagine a world of cutting-edge applications that you can
access from anywhere around the globe at any time. What if you
could select an icon or link and launch full-featured
applications that were always available and up-to-date? Empower
Your Applications with JavaTM Web Start Software.
Dream no longer. Java Web Start software can launch powerful
applications that allow businesses and developers to become
more productive than ever before. It has several features worth
highlighting: guaranteed Java runtime environment (JRE)
compatibility, enhanced security features, and ease of
deployment.
Java Web Start software allows applications to specify which
JRE should run them and which versions of the JRE can run
simultaneously. If the JRE required to run the application is
not already installed, Java Web Start software can
automaticallydo
wnload and install it. You can install more
than one JRE. Java Web Start software always uses the right one
to run the application.
The benefits of J2EE compatibility have never been more
critical or clear. The J2EE platform defines the open standard
for developing multi-tier enterprise applications that you can
leverage as web services over the net using the Sun Open Net
Environment (SunTM ONE). The Promise of Compatibility.
The J2EE platform development model simplifies application and
web service development by specifying a modular object
component model, enabling the development of multiple J2EE
application servers to handle many development and run-time
services, and applications that run across J2EE compatible
application server platforms. The J2EE Compatibility Test Suite
(CTS) of more than 5,000 tests ensures portability of
applications across application server platforms. J2EE platform
compatibility allows developers to choose from a broad range of
development tools and to re-use components created from
existing applications or vendors providing Enterprise
JavaBeanTM (EJBTM) components.
Today, enterprise applications must integrate services from a
variety of suppliers with a variety of applications models and
standards. Integrating these resources can take more than half
the application development time. As a single standard that can
sit on top of a wide range of existing enterprise systems --
database management systems, transaction monitors, naming and
directory services, for example -- the J2EE platform breaks
barriers between current enterprise systems.
The J2EE platform revolutionized computing. Java technology is
key to cross-platform independence and the latest version of
the platform enables companies to integrate their legacy
systems with evolving standards and allows them to deploy a
competitive architecture for Web services. Strengthen
ing the
Foundation.
The J2EE 1.3 platform significantly extends the enterprise
capabilities of the Java platform. Its feature enhancements
make it easier to build and support Web service enabled
e-business systems. It is a foundation upon which developers
can build sophisticated network computing architectures and
create services on demand. These services encompass the
traditional tightly coupled services of today and will evolve
to include Web services, peer-to-peer services, and services
yet to be imagined.
With so much left to accomplish, developers could use some
help. Help is on the way. The Sun Java CenterTM has released
the J2EE Patterns Catalog. The catalog contains J2EE platform
solutions for common problems faced by architects using Java
technology. Piecing It Together.
"When we began offering J2EE [platform] solutions to customers,
we made the collective decision to capture reusable designs in
the form of patterns, so we could enable our customers to
become more productive with as much design reuse as possible,"
states John Crupi, chief Java technology architect, Sun Java
Center, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "We were so successful in our
early projects, that we decided to develop the Java Patterns
Catalog and offer it to the community."
With wide experience developing Java technology-based solutions
for customers such as Ford Motor Company, J Crew, the U.S.
Army, and E*TRADE Securities, Inc., the Sun Java Center
continues to lead the charge by delivering tools for extending
the Java platform.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technology
We're moving towards a future of computing based on
sophisticated network software that will bring us what we need,
when we need it, no matter where we are, through any device we
choose. Be it wireless phone, PDA, or PC. Java Technology
Today.
This movement aligns with Sun's founding vision of open network
computing, but Sun is not alone in promoting this vision any
longer. Every major technology company -- Sun, Microsoft, IBM,
Oracle, Hewlett-Packard -- is talking up the benefits of Web
services, and every major technology company has a Web services
strategy to prove it.
SOAP, UDDI, and ebXML are some of the new technology standards
emerging to help make this common vision a reality.
Java technologies plus XML and other protocols can be combined
to create web services within a network. This new model, based
on open standards, allows developers to create best-of-breed
solutions from compatible products and reusable components.
Creating Web Services with Java Technology and XML.
The Java platform and XML are two open industry standards that
enable the world of B2B ecommerce. The Java API for XML
messaging (JAXM) helps package, route, and transport XML and
non-XML business data across a number of key communication
infrastructures.
JAXM supports a variety of XML messaging methods, such as SOAP
and ebXML. It provides a simple, natural, and generic API that
allows Java technology programmers to add various
standards-based XML messaging capabilities to their
applications.
With Java technology's many products and APIs, it is easy to
forget that a programming language and runtime environment that
are significant in their own right lies beneath application.
Just Java technology, without any bells or whistles , enabled
Jellyvision, a gaming company, to create award-winning
interactive experiences. Jellyvision is sweet on Java
Technology.
When Jellyvision took its development in-house in 1998, no
off-the-shelf tools met its needs. After checking out tools
like Flash and Macromedia Director, they decided to build their
own tools, using Java technology.
The typical Jellyvision product consists of two interdependent
parts: the multimedia engine and the game logic. The multimedia
engine is written in C++. It handles the audio mixing, the
compression and decompression of content, and bit management.
The game logic, which can be very complex and specifies the
actions and interactions that define the game, is written
entirely in Java programming language. The Java Native
Interface (JNI) binds the two layers together.
Jellyvision's use of JNI technology allows code written in the
Java and C++ languages and built to meet the specific
requirements of two differentdo
mains (platform-independent
game logic and platform-specific multimedia support) to
cooperate seamlessly in the execution of the Jellyvision game.
The versatility and scalability of the Java programming
language also caught the eye of Dr. Ben Bederson, director of
the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the University of
Maryland. Bederson leveraged earlier work to create a powerful
and exciting replacement for the traditional digital image
photo browser PhotoMesa. The application, and its open source
algorithms, are now available todo
wnload. View with a Zoom.
PhotoMesa's zoomable interface was built using Bederson's Jazz
technology. Thedo
wnloadable Java 2 platform-based Jazz
framework is a technology developed by Bederson and his staff
at the Human-Computer Interaction Lab. Jazz is a toolkit for
supporting structured two-dimensional data, zooming, and event
handling. Jazz supports structured two-dimensional graphics,
and offers a canvas that can be used wherever a Java Foundation
Classes/Swing widget can be used.
J.F.C./Swing components have also found their way into another
groundbreaking product. SavaJe XE is not only a virtual machine
(VM) running on proprietary native operating system, but a
complete 32-bit, multitasking operating system, designed from
the ground up to run Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SETM)
technology-based applications on advanced RISC machine
microprocessor devices, such as Compaq iPAQ and Psion netBook.
High-end Handhelds.
Two years in development, the SavaJe XE OS offers a Java
virtual machine and class libraries tightly integrated with
highly efficient kernel designed explicitly for the StongARM
and XScale processors.
By enabling developers to seamlessly port between J2SE
platforms, SavaJe XE spurs faster, cheaper, and more
feature-rich development cycles -- as well as solidifying Suns'
"Write Once, Run AnywhereTM" credo. With SavaJe XE, enterprises
can take the J2SE technology-based applications and deploy them
on hand-held devices -- with performance that is compatible to
Java technology on the desktop.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trends
With millions of developers using Java technology worldwide,
the Java platform has become a guiding force for the industry
generally, and the standard for deployment and development on
the Web. We are moving from a world of big applications to
software components that provide a service to the user.
Catching the Next Wave of the Internet.
"Over the years, network computing has evolved through the
fundamental principles of decomposition and specialization,"
says Greg Papadopoulos, Sun's senior vice president and chief
technology officer. "At each stage of network development, we
have to work out a new model and set of patterns for how to
build the next system. Making the Net Work.
"Network computing needs to be more social, democratic,
probabilistic, not deterministic," adds Bill Joy, Sun's chief
scientist. "It's not about the technology dictating how we
interact but about the way you and I want to interact with the
technology."
The growth of the Web has begun, and the challenges are
significant. No one technology can actually address all the
information, content, and data on the expanded Web.
Project Juxtapose (JXTA, pronounced "juxta") is an
industry-wide research project led by Sun to enable developers
to create flexible, interoperable applications that are
available on a wide variety of devices, overcoming the
limitations of peer-to-peer (P2P) distributed computing. Joy
Poses JXTA Initiative.
The goal of Project JXTA is to leverage distributed computing
by providing direct access to resources from one node (device)
on the network to another, without the control of a centralized
server.
The newest of a trilogy that further enables distributed
computing, JXTA joins Java and Jini technologies. "As we think
about distributed computing happening on the network, we are
very encouraged with Java technology," Joy says. Java
technology allows developers to execute computations on
different machines without worrying about operating system
limitations and the ability to move code around a network. XML
technology allows data to move across the network in a widely
used format. Additionally, Jini network technology enables
spontaneous networking of a wide variety of hardware, software,
and services.
Several of the core components of JXTA technology are analogous
to key features of the UNIX operating system. According to Joy,
who pioneered the development of UNIX: "the requirements of the
JXTA model are very much in line with the capabilities of
existing software technologies, such as UNIX, Java technology,
and XML." Project JXTA Posing for Success.
Joy expects to see many different implementations of JXTA
technology emerge in the months ahead. And Sun intends to let
the market determine which ones prevail. "We are committed to
an open source community process that lets all interested
parties and developers define, extend, and refine JXTA," Mike
Clary, JXTA project manager says.
JXTA for the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) is a new
project of the JXTA development community to extend distributed
computing to small devices such as cell phones, personal
digital assistants (PDAs) and Pocket PCs. JXTA for the Java 2
Platform, Micro Edition (J2METM).
JXTA for the J2ME platform aims to bring JXTA functionality to
small footprint devices that use the Connected Limited Device
Configuration (CLDC) and the Mobile Information Device Profile
(MIDP).
As the next generation of small devices gains more capabilities
such as processing power, persistent storage, and network
bandwidth, the full capabilities of the JXTA platform can be
migrated to JXTA for the J2ME platform.
Simon Phipps, chief technology evangelist at Sun, states that
the world we share is being shaped by the Net Effect. "What we
are seeing in the computer industry are exponential growth
opportunities," he says. Building the Swarm.
In addition to deriving value from the number of people who
join the network, there are many levels to each network, such
as the web browser layer, web services layer, and the wireless
layer, from which exponentially growing value can be derived.
So as more and more layers are discovered or devised, the
opportunity for existing and new business grows, not just as
the second power, but as the third power, the fourth power, and
so on -- to the nth power. Open standards are the only way to
make value grow exponentially and cost grow linearly, Phipps
says.
"It is not about technology, it is about simple math. If the
connections cost you money and time, you will never be able to
get value faster than the costs grow," he explains.
According to Phipps, the future of web services is based on the
concept of swarms. Swarms represent the process through which
access devices, services on servers, and data networks will
increasingly find each other and build exactly the service the
user needs, when the user needs it. Todo
so, there will be a
spontaneous federation of services and the creation of the hive
mind -- a process by which devices will work together to
prepare solutions for users' needs, perhaps even before users
know they need them.
"What lies at the heart of a service driven network is the idea
of using services to build smart services. Services will in the
future spontaneously federate -- spontaneous meaning they will
find each other dynamically across the network, and federate
meaning that they will build through their interaction exactly
the custom smart device you need, exactly when you need it,"
Phipps says.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Innovation
"It is difficult to write history, once you have become part of
it," Ed Zander beamed to over 15,000 developers, business
people, and reporters during the 2001 JavaOne developer
conference in San Francisco. Zander, president and chief
operating officer for Sun Microsystems, Inc., and Rich Green,
vice president and general manager for software development,
delivered a conference keynote that demonstrated why Java
technology has come of age. Java Technology: the Universal
Language.
Surrounded by a sea of developers, Zander and Green moved
confidently across the stage, reflecting the spirited growth of
the Java platform. Eighteen years ago, Java technology was a
gleam in James Gosling's eye. Today it is a strapping youth,
ready to challenge the world.
With Java technology now finding its way into every industry
and functional niche, it comes as no surprise to discover Java
applets, applications, and servlets being used in the fields
such as medical imaging, genetics, astronomy, photography, and
search and rescue.
AnatLine, a system consisting of an anatomical image database
and an online browser for accessing data, was developed by a
five-member team at the National Library of Medicine's (NLM)
National Center of Biomedical Communications. "The NLM is the
largest repository and distributor of medical and health
information in the U.S.," explains Earl Henderson, deputy
director of the Center. "Its databases are accessed by national
and international health providers, as well as academics and
research professionals. The Center is a research division of
the NLM with programs targeted for advancing the collection,
storage, and distribution of biomedical information. In Living
Color.
Researchers and engineers at the Center have designed an image
database that captures hundreds of cross-sectional images of
the male and female body. "Following the initial prototype of
the system, " says Henderson, "we have replaced all our C++
code with Java technology, and are coding all new modules in
the Java programming language. We are currently using Java
applets, applications, servlets, the Java 3D API, and the Java
Advanced imaging API in our high-resolution display module."
This year, Java technology is making its mark in another
medical field: genetics.
While the mapping of the human genome was officially completed
in June of 2000, those engaged in the fields of computational
biology and bioinformatics know that the real work has just
begun. A rough draft of the sequences contained in our DNA has
now been completed, but the next step is one of meaningfully
interpreting this massive volume of information -- a task that
amounts to deciphering a text of three billion characters, in a
semi-unknown language, and without the aid of spaces or
punctuation. Exploring the New Frontier, Part 1.
In short, genomics, and the companion study of proteonomics --
mapping and understanding the proteins coded for a given genome
-- present genetic researchers with computational tasks of
scales never before seen. Without the aid of massive databases,
and networked computational systems, it would effectively be
impossible to process and interpret the avalanche of biological
data now being generated on an almost daily basis. And with
genomic researcher centers scattered all across the globe, in
both private and academic settings, using a myriad of different
hardware and operating systems, the secure, network-aware,
cross-platform power of Java technology is increasingly proving
indispensable to this ongoing task of reverse-engineering out
inner-workings. Exploring the New Frontier, Part 2.
Physiome Sciences, Inc.'s computer-based biological simulation
technologies, and Bioinformatics Solutions, Inc.'s Pattern
Hunter, a genomic search and analysis facility, are just two
examples of the growing adoption of Java technology in the
fields of computational biology and bioinformatics.
This year, java developers empowered us to consider the
definition of life and allowed us to reflect on the origins of
the universe.
Scientists and engineers from Argentina, Australia, Brazil,
Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, and the United States shared
the first images from Gemini North with the rest of the world
this summer. The telescope anddo
me, which weighs 1,015 metric
tons, collects images that set the standard for observatories
around the world. Exploring the Universe.
Sun Microsystems, Inc. hardware, the SolarisTM 8 Operating
Environment, and Java technology control every movement of this
intricate machine. They regulate a range of motion that
includes the deft rotation of the massive telescope and the
stepwise focus of its galaxy-gathering cameras.
Gemini North permits modern astronomers to look beyond the
Milky Way to calculate the distance, age, and chemistry of
galaxies once hidden from view.
Using a miniature, clip-on digital camera, a handset, and a
JavaTM technology-based server solution powered by Lightsurf
Technology, Phillippe Kahn proves how all-encompassing Sun
technology can be. Kahn snapped a picture of Sun President and
CEO Ed Zander, and then
demonstrated the ability to wirelessly
(and instantly) share that digital image between digital
handheld devices. Picture Postcards from the Cutting Edge.
The LightSurf Technology Platform (LTP) is a suite of tightly
coupled and integrated server ecommerce, and wireless device
components that is based on open industry standards. LTP is a
complete end-to-end wireless digital solution that allows
photos and other rich digital media to be instantly and
automatically transmitted from any wireless device (cellular
phone, PDA, or digital camera) to any other wireless or wired
device.
Watching the collapse of the World Trade Center towers 1 and 2
is perhaps the most compelling image of the year. Java
technology was on the scene within hours of the first
explosion. Up from the Ashes.
Researchers at ground zero guided remote-control robots by
sighting passageways in the rubble with virtual reality goggles
or video screens, then
thrusting joysticks forward or backward,
right or left to steer the small tank-like machines along
crevices that rescuers considered too dangerous to investigate.
Many of the robots, prototypes for a technology that redefines
search and rescue, are driven by Java technology.
Fortunately, researchers and developers have heeded the call.
"Robotics is a difficult field," Dr. Robin Murphy, director of
the Perceptual Robotics Laboratory, says. "It has started to
engage the interest of people who write software. They've just
begun to understand how challenging and worthy it is."
Dr. Murphy's words apply to robotics and all the fields in
which Java technology plays a role: together, we are just
begin
ning to understand how challenging and worthy the work
before us truly is.
See Also
Feature Archive
(http://java.sun.com/features/)