When Java came into wireless, it was welcomed with arms half open. Companies like Qualcomm Inc. thought the technology was too open and had to shrink its appeal. Some said it was not open enough because it savored such a wide array of supporters that it could turn into a monopoly.
That debate, still raging about three years since Java entered the wireless world, has stoked another controversy. Given its dominant status, some industry experts and investors think the environment should fling its doors wide for the open source approach.
“The majority of remarks that we have heard about officially open sourcing Java have been apprehensive, if not disparaging,” remarked Cliff Raskind, director of wireless enterprise strategies at Strategy Analytics. “The fear is that the Java Community Process will be circumvented, potentially spawning dozens of incompatible versions of Java.”
At the head of the call for an open-source Java is IBM Corp., which has offered to provide the code to support such a possible move. Other giants like BEA Systems Inc. and Oracle Corp., toeing a cautious line, have stayed out of the debate. Sun Microsystems Inc., which birthed the technology and has built a community around it, has expressed Raskind’s concern.
But the debate is taking on more heat, fueled by the logic of the day, which favors open standards and interoperability.
“The contention is that through stringent open license clauses, Sun and the JCP can effect appropriate version control, naming changes … from the original Java software for derived versions that are commercially distributed,” noted Raskind. “Such a strategy, however, is predicated on effective control and cataloging via strict adherence to these open license provisions.”
But those who stand against open source appear to be greater in number and concerned about guarding the tremendous gains of the technology and the integrity of its applications.
Raskind said they are concerned that “bastardized versions of Java would run amuck making write-once-run-anywhere that much more elusive for Java, a technology that in our view has made impressive strides to date toward this Holy Grail.”
The stake in Java is obvious. Many developers, handset manufacturers, software players and channels have enjoyed the boost of the technology based on its present arrangement. According to analyst firm Ovum, Java sits in 350 million handsets around the world. By 2007, that number is expected to leap to 1.5 billion.
J2ME, the mobile acronym for the technology, should enjoy 50-percent penetration in all 2.5-generation phones in 2007 and 2008 and 75 percent of third-generation handsets. In Japan, 50 percent of all handsets are Java enabled, according to an ARC Group report. The report also says in Japan and Korea, about 80 percent of Java handsets sold in 2003 led to active users.
ARC Group also documents that sales of handsets running Java tripled in 2003, reaching 95.5 million. Ovum said the 350 million Java-enabled handsets presently deployed represent an increase of 100 percent since the end of 2003, which had 250 million.
The first half of this year’s sales alone has surpassed all of 2003, according to the Ovum study.
Although Qualcomm’s downloadable BREW solution is gaining traction in the United States, sales of Java-enabled handsets this year alone have surpassed all handsets sold since BREW came into being.
Part of BREW’s limitation is that it has had to follow CDMA-enabled phones, while Java initially was embraced by the GSM community. GSM technology, which accounts for an overwhelming majority of handsets around the world, tends to give instant dominance to clients and the technologies it carries.
According to ARC Group, Java applications earned operators up to $1.4 billion in 2003. The study projects that by 2008, operators will generate more than $15 billion in annual revenues, representing 12.4 percent of all data revenues.
The resistance to open source is further emphasized by the constant improvements in the technology.
“We are witnessing the adoption of a common platform for mobility,” remarked David Rivas, chief technology officer for the consumer and mobile systems group at Sun, pointing to the work of the Java Virtual Machine, the ability to eliminate bugs and write applications on any Java platform independent of operating system or chipset.
`It’s the most potent force in mobile computing today,” said Rivas, adding that chief information officers are becoming more comfortable with the mobile experience. He also identified memory protection as one of Java’s big strengths.
The technology has developed an initiative known as Open Services Gateway Initiative, which helps developers run multiple applications at once.
“Presently, we can’t extend the life of applications remotely through downloads and access services,” said Steve Steigmeyer, product line manager for enabled software at IBM Pervasive Computing. But OSGI will make that possible, he said, ushering in the next wave of Java computing.
BlackBerry devices, which have become the gold standard for connected enterprise executives, are also Java-enabled. The technology also enjoys end-to-end support, accommodating a suite of layers like application development infrastructure, application client and server platform, tools and developer base.
The Java Verified Program, which allows developers to submit applications for interoperability verification and performance, has attracted some of the big players in the industry like Nokia Corp., Motorola Inc., Siemens AG and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. Orange SA and T-Mobile AG were the first carriers to join JVP.
