ad info

CNN.com
 MAIN PAGE
 WORLD
 ASIANOW
 U.S.
 LOCAL
 POLITICS
 WEATHER
 BUSINESS
 SPORTS
 TECHNOLOGY
   computing
   personal technology
   space
 NATURE
 ENTERTAINMENT
 BOOKS
 TRAVEL
 FOOD
 HEALTH
 STYLE
 IN-DEPTH

 custom news
 Headline News brief
 daily almanac
 CNN networks
 CNN programs
 on-air transcripts
 news quiz

  CNN WEB SITES:
CNN Websites
 TIME INC. SITES:
 MORE SERVICES:
 video on demand
 video archive
 audio on demand
 news email services
 free email accounts
 desktop headlines
 pointcast
 pagenet

 DISCUSSION:
 message boards
 chat
 feedback

 SITE GUIDES:
 help
 contents
 search

 FASTER ACCESS:
 europe
 japan

 WEB SERVICES:
Computing

From...

What the heck is ... Jini?

July 31, 1998
Web posted at: 10:00 AM EDT

by Jason Krause

What was all that fuss about?

(IDG) -- Sun engineers have been working quietly on a new Java technology called Jini since 1995. Part of the original vision for Java, it was put on the back burner while Sun waited for Java to gain widespread acceptance. As the Jini project revved up and more than 30 technology partners signed on, it became impossible to keep it under wraps. So Sun cofounder Bill Joy, who helped dream up Jini, leaked the news to the media earlier this month. It was promptly smothered in accolades and hyperbolic prose.

How does it work?

When you plug a new Jini-enabled device into a network, it broadcasts a message to any lookup service on the network saying, in effect, "Here I am. Is anyone else out there?" The lookup service registers the new machine, keeps a record of its attributes and sends a message back to the Jini device, letting it know where to reach the lookup service if it needs help. So when it comes time to print, for example, the device calls the lookup service, finds what it needs and sends the job to the appropriate machine. Jini actually consists of a very small piece of Java code that runs on your computer or device.

Why will Jini be the future of distributed computing?

Jini lets you dynamically move code, and not just data, from one machine to another. That means you can send a Java program to any other Jini machine and run it there, harnessing the power of any machine on your network to complete a task or run a program.

MORE COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE
  IDG.net home page
  Industry Standard home page
  Industry Standard email newsletters
  Industry Standard daily Media Grok
  Industry Standard financial news
  Industry Standard e-commerce stories
  Computerworld "Emmerce"
  Fusion financial report
Free registration required to access this site
  InfoWorld Internet commerce section
 Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net
  IDG.net's personal news page
  Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you
  Search IDG.net in 12 languages
  Subscribe to IDG.net's free daily newsletter for computer industry cognoscenti
 News Radio
  PC World News Radio
  Computerworld Minute audio news for managers
   
Why won't Jini be the future of distributed computing?

So far, Jini seems to offer little more than basic network services. Don't expect it to turn your household devices into supercomputers; it will take some ingenious engineering before your stereo will start dating your laptop. Jini can run on small handheld devices with little or no processing power, but these devices need to be network-enabled and need to be controlled by another Jini-enabled hardware or software piece by proxy.

When will it happen?

The first customer shipment is slated for the fall. Jini-enabled software could ship by the end of the year, and the first Jini-enabled devices could be in stores by next year.

What's the catch?

Security. Jini will use the same security and authentication measures as Java. Unfortunately, Java's security model has not been introduced yet.

Who's scared?

Microsoft. Without Jini, Java is just a language that can run on any platform. With it, Java becomes a networked system with many of the same capabilities as a network operating system, like Windows NT. Don't expect Microsoft to support Jini.

What's lost in the shuffle?

Lucent's Inferno, a lightweight OS for connecting devices; Microsoft's Millennium, a Windows distributed computing model; and Hewlett-Packard's JetSend, a protocol that lets peripheral devices talk.

What should you say when discussing Jini?

"For all its promise, Jini will take time and a quantum leap in thinking for it to change the networking model."

Related stories:
Latest Headlines

Today on CNN

Related IDG.net stories:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window Related sites:

External sites are not
endorsed by CNN Interactive.

SEARCH CNN.com
Enter keyword(s)   go    help

  
 

Back to the top
© 2000 Cable News Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.