Sun Microsystems' announcement of the immediate availability of the Java 2 Platform Micro Edition (J2ME) for Linux has been welcomed by local developers who are dedicated to developing purely on this platform.
According to Peter Castle, senior system engineer at Sun Microsystems SA, a number of strategic development partners have taken the decision to deploy applications for consumer devices, such as palm pilots and cellular phones, on bigger machines and multi-user systems on Linux.
"This is just one more set in their arsenal to develop systems for devices that can run on Java and they are using Linux to avoid being tied into a specific platform. In the business environment, Linux has escalated in popularity and office PC developers are now running the operating system to develop applications such as terminal emulators," comments Castle.
There are a growing number of Java technology developers who are building applications for consumer devices running on Linux.
"Now, with the availability of J2ME technologies on Linux, the 2.5 million Java technology developers worldwide can support a whole series of next-generation, intelligent services on today's modern clients."
He says in SA developers are designing spreadsheets that will run on palm pilots or financial calculators with robust open ends allowing them develop at the office and continue on their home PCs.
"The best programmers in the world are mostly entrepreneurs or small development houses writing killer applications, but they need the tools to write to small footprint or embedded devices."
The components of the Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition form a platform for networked devices in the home, vehicle and factory floor.
With the announcement, Sun demonstrates its commitment to support Linux across the Java platform, extending the benefits of open network computing to embedded systems. Linux has matured quickly into an increasingly popular operating system and is now emerging in the embedded systems market.
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