Jini to take a formal bow on January 25

December 9, 1998 — After months of giving sneak peaks at its Java-based Jini distributed computing technology, Sun Microsystems will finally, on January 25, formally announce the product, according to Scott McNealy, the company’s chief executive officer, president, and chairman.

After a series of speakers trotted out on stage here at the Java Business Expo yesterday and today to drive home the message that Java is ready to support mission-critical business applications, McNealy went in the opposite direction today — he focused on the consumer markets.

Jini has vast implications for Sun. The company says that this software will make it easier for developers to build distributed systems, in which anything connected to a network is represented by a software object.

The Jini architecture includes a software agent of less than 40K bytes of code that can be embedded on a processor and inserted into any manufactured device – from PCs to consumer appliances. The agent communicates through a protocol to look up services on a network, according to McNealy.

Jini look-up services accomplish the task of linking devices — including consumer devices — to various geographically dispersed network services. The Jini architecture can run on any equipment that integrates the Java virtual machine (JVM).

Jini may be the final piece of the puzzle that makes Java an undeniable attraction to manufacturers — even those not directly involved in the computer industry.

“It is a no-brainer to have a Jini agent and Jini-enable your virtual machine … if you’re not doing a Java virtual machine Jini may be the most compelling of all reasons to put the virtual machine on your equipment,” McNealy said.

McNealy also said today that Jini-based networks can — via network adapters attached to consumer devices — use the electrical wiring in a home. In a demonstration in his keynote, McNealy showed how a variety of devices from fans to televisions and air conditioners can all be controlled via Jini technology via a home’s electrical wiring.

McNealy also noted that Jini will let users control home devices from their PCs at work – network adapters will let users send commands from Ethernet-connected PCs to a home remote control device, and then through the home’s wiring to consumer devices.

The advantage of Jini to PC users is that the Jini software agents, through look-up services, can directly access device controls such as printer commands, eliminating the need to use hardware drivers that can go out of date.

McNealy also pointed out that beyond the ability for consumers to control home devices, Jini technology can be used by manufacturers to control plant equipment.

“Jini is an extension of what Sun has done with Java — the creation of an open platform that connects (products from) a variety of different manufacturers,” said Sam Albert, principal of Sam Albert Associates consulting company.

But it’s too early to tell if Sun will be able to leverage Jini to move Java-related technology well beyond the realm of computer manufacturers. “It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen with Jini — Java has had great success in a short time but who would have predicted four years ago that IBM would have 3,000 Java programmers now?” Albert said.

Sun has promised to unveil a list of manufacturers embedding Jini capabilities into consumer devices. In the upcoming January announcement in San Francisco, Sun will finally reveal the manufacturers that will be using Jini, and Sun’s plans for distributing and licensing the technology, McNealy said during a question and answer session after his keynote address.

About two dozen companies have licensed the technology, according to Sun officials.