Wireless doesn't mean tiny

I was a big proponent of the J2ME environment from SUN for wireless devices. Seemed wise. Tailor the run-time environment to fit in the small memory spaces of cellphones and Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs (does anyone still call them that anymore?) Then you can write code that is sort of like the code you'd write for the workstations and laptops and it would work.

Well it did, within reason, but ultimately it was just another fork in the development of applications. You see technology relentlessly advances. Processors are still getting smaller, memories continue to get bigger. When you look a handheld device you have to ask what is it that is being constrained by that physical size and what will continue to be constrained in the near future.

Sure, you say, I know: power. The processor can only run so fast without draining the battery. OK, I agree. So why write applications that fit in small memory spaces? That's what J2ME is. A stripped-down version of the run-time that fits in a few MegaBytes. You can buy a 128 GByte USB stick for 10 dollars. Assume the new handhelds will have this space and skate to where the action will be.

The biggest problem with J2ME is that it tries to replace the underlying operating system. Here's a better idea. Put a real OS in there. Linux will fit in the memory space of those devices nicely because you can create a distribution that only has what's needed for that device without compromising the pieces that remain. That isn't possible with a monolithic operating system. Sure you can create a smaller version of a big OS for these devices but that's just another development fork just like J2ME was. Guess what. That's exactly what Apple did with their iPhone.

It will happen that way. The economics will dictate that Linux will ultimately run most of your handheld devices. The scary thing is that once you get used to these devices and the applications that run on them, you won't need the bloated operating systems that run the workstations. You will start using the those machines just as dumb terminals for the devices in your hands. You'll have figured out how to do your word processing on these gadgets and you'll think "if I just had a bigger screen to do this, I'd be OK. Easier that learning a new package...". There's a very smart man called Clayton Christenson who sees this happening. Check out his Podcast.

Shhh. Does anybody hear a dynasty crumbling?