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To understand JStamp, you must be willing to think differently. Many common
assumptions about Java technology are no longer valid. Let go of the past
and embrace the future: real-time Java.
Get the latest version of our Embedded Java white
paper.
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Common Misconceptions
(about Embedded Systems & Java)
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JRealTime Reality
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| Java is slow because it must be interpreted. There
are no general-purpose native Java processors (maybe someday there
will be). |
Today is that day! The aJile processors used in
JStamp execute Java as their native instruction set. This brings Java
performance on a par with assembly code or C running on comparable
processors. There is no longer any siginficant performance penalty
for programming in Java. |
| Embedded Java is expensive. |
JStamp includes a native Java processor, 512 KBytes
SRAM, 512 KByte to 2 MBytes flash, and other supporting circuitry
starting under $100 in moderate quantities. Development kits start
at $300. |
| Embedded Java is power hungry. |
JStamp internally is a 3.3V system. Its on-board
power converter accepts 5-14 VDC and even provides 100 mA at 3.3V
for your use off-module. At 7 MHz, JStamp draws only 30 mA with a
5V supply, and even less current at higher voltages. A common 9V alkaline
battery will power JStamp for over 24 hours. |
| I need deterministic performance and good real-time
response. There's no way Java can deliver that. |
JStamp can and does. The aJile aJ-80 controller
includes the hardware to support RTSJ (Real Time Specification for Java) and provides
absolutely deterministic behaviour. (But aJile currently has no plans to develop the runtime
support for RTSJ.) Learn more about the spec at www.rtj.org |
| Embedded systems are hard to program, and expensive
to maintain. Development takes a long time. |
Java is not a panacea for all embedded problems.
A bad programmer can still write bad firmware in Java. However, Java,
appropriately applied, has been well-documented to reduce development
time and expense and ease maintenance. |
| We've always used C and assembly code. What's
wrong with that? |
Nothing, The developers of JStamp have written
C and assembly code for years. (We also drew schematics with pencil
and paper a long time ago, and laid out circuit boards on mylar film
-- we don't miss those days at all.) C has been around a long time.
Take advantage of current software technology and use the language
of the new millenium - Java. |
| If native execution is really such a great idea
why isn't some big company like Intel or IBM developing Java controllers? |
Good question. Here's another: Why did it take
two guys in a garage to start the personal computer revolution (Apple)
instead of one of the mainframe companies of the day? Hewlett-Packard
was also started by two guys in a garage. Recent history shows that
revolutionary technology comes from small upstarts,
not the old guard. They simply have too much invested in the old way
of doing things. |
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