This whitepaper by TimeSys director of marketing David Tannenbaum provides a brief introduction and overview to using Java as an application platform in Linux-based embedded systems and smart devices. Tannenbaum writes . . .

” . . . Java, according to Sun's vision, would provide a unifying platform for embedded devices through a Virtual Machine (VM) which would execute Java byte codes portably and transparently. The goal was: 'Write once, run anywhere' (WORA).”

“Unfortunately, problems with Java's speed and predictability in the early days prevented it from delivering on this vision. Today, however, vast increases in microprocessor speed and execution efficiency, combined with improvements in Java technology itself, have greatly mitigated the performance issues.”

“Additionally, in today's increasingly networked world it has become highly desirable to freely move applications from one system to another, in some cases running web-based applications on 'thin' clients of varying architectures. Obviously, the ability to run a single software implementation written in Java byte codes on multiple machines, rather requiring than numerous machine specific binaries, presents a tremendous value proposition . . .”

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