Embedded Linux and Java—Wave of the Future?

Rick contemplates the coming exponential proliferation of smart devices using Java + Linux.

by Rick Lehrbaum

The world of intelligent devices is changing dramatically. The computerized devices around us are getting smarter; they're increasingly connected and interdependent, and they're becoming vastly more numerous. And, all this is happening at an ever-increasing rate.

Blame it on Moore's Law, but it's now practical to embed moderately high-performance computing and connectivity in just about everything that runs on electricity—whether tethered or mobile. This trend is fueled by powerful and highly integrated system-on-chip processors, coupled with large-capacity system and storage memories (both disk and silicon), and empowered by wired and wireless communications interfaces (Ethernet, IrDA, 802.11, Bluetooth).

Another important phenomenon is that as both embedded computing and connectivity proliferate, the intelligence within tomorrow's devices is becoming less localized. Increasingly, the precise location of the software running on these devices is blurring, and eventually we're unlikely actually to know where the programs we use are located. Is the application running inside the device? Is it based on some remote server (e.g., a home services gateway)? Is it located at an internet-based application service provider? Is it a combination of all three?

Call it distributed intelligence or distributed computing. Call it .NET. Call it the post-PC era. Whatever you call it, one thing's certain: the era of isolated, autonomous desktop PCs running nothing but localized software is coming to an end, like the mammoths of the Ice Age.

As the boundaries of the traditional computing paradigm blur and a new reality based on distributed, interconnected, pervasive computing devices dawns, a few important attributes of the coming era draw into focus:

In general, most computing devices in this new era will not be PCs. Instead, they'll be smart appliances of various shapes and capabilities, used for information, entertainment, control and other purposes. Think of things like smart wristwatches (with built-in mobile phone and PIM functions), advanced cell phone/PDAs, audio/video systems, security systems, automobile infotronics, smart kitchen appliances and PC-like desktop terminals. The list goes on and on.

As the number and variety of devices with embedded intelligence grow exponentially, the need to minimize cost and maximize specialization increases correspondingly. Hence, embedded Linux becomes a highly desirable technology for the operating system due to its scalability, configurability and affordability.

It's worth noting that until recently, the cost penalty associated with the CPU and memory resources necessary to run Linux had been a somewhat limiting factor, relative to using it in cost-sensitive devices. Now, however, the baseline needs of embedding Linux—roughly 2MB Flash and 4MB RAM memory and a moderate speed processor—have become reasonably inexpensive, thanks in large measure to Moore's Law.

Another important challenge in this new era in which we'll be surrounded by billions of increasingly intelligent devices, all communicating with one another, is the obvious need to simplify and quicken the process of application development, deployment and maintenance. In this regard, Java appears postured to play an increasingly significant role.

Although Java failed to hit the target for which it was initially developed (which was, ironically, to serve as an embedded operating system within smart devices), Java ended up providing a convenient means to enable moving applications around among computing devices—propelled to this position by the dramatic emergence of the Web.

Today, despite its early failure as an embedded operating system, Java is showing promise in the role of providing a device-independent application platform, running on top of the embedded operating system. In this case, rather than serving as the operating system itself, Java provides the benefit of masking the unique aspects of the underlying device and providing an array of services beyond those offered by the embedded OS.

In the context of an exponential proliferation of smart devices, Java is emerging as a handy way to minimize device-specific development and to allow developers to focus on the truly unique aspects of their projects. Increasingly, Java is providing a means to obtain functionality like GUIs, web browsers, protocol stacks, handwriting and speech recognition, wireless communications, multimedia support, database management and a wide range of remote services.