[ax25-layer2] Re: ax25-layer2 Digest, Vol 11, Issue 1

[Gregg Wonderly]

pete at ae5pl.net wrote:
> Also, I have already coded the NSR in Java and some others have done it
> using various platforms.  While Java is great for multipurpose computer
> platforms such as PCs because it is OS independent, it doesn't scale
> well down to proms, etc.  But at least we know things like this can be
> coded and tested without a huge amount of effort.

Off topic, bu just to promote Java some and the available Java embedded 
environments...

There are a handful of Java J2ME platforms that perform quite well.  The 
http://www.ajile.com aJ-100 processor runs java byte codes natively at 100mhz. 
This puts it well beyond the performance of most afordable micro-controllers. 
It'll cost you several hundred to get a development kit from systronix, but it 
is a very dependable platform that is used for robotics and other realtime 
environments. I've worked with the ajile team over the years to help them debug 
and market this platform, so it is very familar to me.  I've written some pretty 
extensive applications for this platform.  I have no financial stake in the 
company, so I not trying to sell it here, just bringing it up as an available, 
embedded platform.

The http://www.muvium.com web site sells a PIC based JVM implementation that is 
quite powerful. If you are not aware of this, read up.  James has the backing of 
microchip and it seems like a pretty popular platform from the outside.  I have 
no personal experience with this platform though.

There are many other microcontrollers that have been here and gone.  The 
traction in the micro-controller market is hugely sunk into the C and C++ 
languages, and thus trying to convince people to switch to Java has to have a 
large financial stake.  There are some, which are not so tenable, but one, in 
particular is the cross OS portability which allows algorithms, such as what we 
might develop for this project to be used, unchanged between what runs on my PC 
at home and on my new TNC in the car.

There have been many bad examples of Java micro-controllers, and many bad 
examples of java desktop applications.  This leaves a lot of people with a not 
so good Java experience.

But, the platform is there, and capable of a lot more than most people know or 
realize.  The simple dynamic class loading mechanisms makes it trivial in most 
cases to integrate many Java applications into a single desktop environment.

Imagine if you could have your logger of choice, PSK 31 app of choice, AX.25 
node of choice as well as other things such as beam/rotator control and radio 
control interface all run together and interact seemlessly.  Java can do this 
just as well as the windows active-x/COM environment, and it can do it across 
all the supported OSes as well.

Gregg Wonderly
W5GGW