FROM EDN EUROPE: Low-footprint software platform adds Java capability

If you want to run Java on very limited resources—such as on a Smart Card—the only realistic choice has been the reduced subset of Java created specifically for the card environment. Now, OneEighty Software has introduced Origin-J, a JVM (Java virtual machine) designed to run within restricted resources. You can run the JVM within the resources typical of a card. It is a "clean-room" JVM with a typical core code of 40 kbytes, depending on processor, application, and specific peripheral set. Because it supports multithreading and garbage collection, it can run threaded applications and any J2SE-compliant code. The major restriction is that, because the implementation targets embedded applications, it does not implement Java graphics libraries.

You can run the JVM on a variety of 8- and 16-bit processors, including the Atmel AVR and the recently introduced ARM7TDMI. OneEighty plans ports to other cores, including 8051-family devices.

The JVM's underlying technology is OneEighty's Origin, a platform for building microprocessor applications that run within restricted resources. It produces an executable that is both compact and fast. "Resource-constrained" can mean limited by speed, memory, power, or any combination of the three. OneEighty emphasises that Origin's use is not confined to "small" microprocessor systems; an application that is resource-restricted within the context of a 64-bit system can benefit by handling more software throughput, as can an 8-bit system. You can configure Origin to run in conjunction with a range of popular operating systems or in a "native" mode without a separate operating system; Origin can act as the operating system for the application code. OneEighty claims you can build applications in as little as 20% of the footprint of the original implementation, or even less. You can use Origin on a number of microprocessor architectures, including ARM, AVR, 8051, 68HC12, PowerPC, and H8, as well as on x86 (with Linux or Windows) and Sparc (Linux, Solaris).

OneEighty Software, +44 20 8680 8712, www.180sw.com.