First, Jini, the buzzword of the week.
> SUN DREAMS OF JINI TO PROVIDE MAGIC COMPUTING FABRIC
> Sun Microsystems has announced a product called Jini, which uses Sun's Java
> programming language to allow "distributed computing" across potentially
> millions of digital computing devices, including palm-size computers,
> mainframes, telephones, TVs, stereos, kitchen appliances, automobiles,
> heating and air conditioning systems, etc., etc. University of Pennsylvania
> computer scientist David Farber says: "We now have all the ingredients to
> build a distributed computing fabric which approaches science fiction. You
> will be able to sit with your laptop, and it will be able to reach out
> across the network. And for the moments you need the power, it will become
> the largest supercomputer in the world." (New York Times 15 Jul 98)
They stole this metaphor from the Caltech Infospheres group
http://www.infospheres.caltech.edu/releases/current/documentation/user_guide/html/node5.html
begging the question, how good could Jini possibly be? One more packet
from the hype stream that Sun Microsystems has become... Magic
computing fabric, oh my...
By the way, how'd the NYT get that quote from Farber?
> MCI SELLS INTERNET ASSETS, MERGER WITH WORLDCOM APPROVED
> As expected, MCI Communications' announcement that the company will sell its
> InternetMCI business to Cable & Wireless has resulted in Justice Department
> approval of the company's proposed $37-billion merger with WorldCom Inc.
> MCI's acting chief financial officer says he expects the new MCI-WorldCom
> entity to replace the revenue generated by MCI's Internet business quickly,
> thanks to the explosive growth of the Internet. The merger still requires
> approval from the FCC and four states. (Wall Street Journal 16 Jul 98)
Wasn't the Internet the most promising part of MCI's business? Isn't
that the LAST thing you would part with (except, of course, MCI's
Internet Architecture group... :)
> LINUX RISING
> The Unix-based, volunteer-supported operating system Linux, created in 1991
> by Linus Torvalds, a 28-year-old Finn who now works for a chip-design firm
> in Silicon Valley, has been gaining acceptance in mainstream computing
> environments, and companies such as Oracle, Sun and IBM have plans to use
> the program in some of their products. Linux is free, and the only way to
> earn money on it is to provide additional services, such as offering tested
> versions of the program along with installation support. Of the large
> software firms, only Netscape and Corel have so far pledged full support,
> but that situation is expected to change as general acceptance of Linux
> spreads. (The Economist 15 Jul 98)
Why is the Economist only reporting about Linux now?
----
adam@cs.caltech.edu
Information is the key to prosperity.
-- Brazil