PersonalJava ships to licensees

Sun Microsystems has shipped the first version of PersonalJava to licensees and said it should result in Java-based devices such as Web-browsing phones before year's end.

PersonalJava is a subset of the Java software platform built specifically to run devices such as Web phones, set-top boxes, and handheld data-entry terminals. Licensees so far include real-time operating system makers such as Microware, Wind River Systems, and Lucent, as well as Texas Instruments, QNX, and Acorn, according to Sun senior product manager Alice Farrelly.

"We have shipped source code to licensees, and they're creating binary implementations and reselling them into the embedded market," Farrelly said. "Because it's a subset of Java, people know what classes will be included in it and have already been prototyping."

PersonalJava has the same Java virtual machine as the regular Java platform but has a different event model--for alternate input devices--and a smaller memory footprint, Farrelly said.

In related news, Sun and Spyglass announced they will collaborate on a browser for PersonalJava called Personal WebAccess. The browser will be based on Sun's HotJava technology. No timetable was announced.