[Embedlets-dev] JSIMM Minivan (was peer-to-peer)

[Ted K. <tk...@ya...>]

JSIMM MINIVAN

I would like to elaborate on the design goal that I am shooting for with trying
to bring 'peer-to-peer' to the JSIMM backplane.  What I want is maximum
flexibility during the system assembly and configuration stage, not during the
operating stage, and I am more than willing to trade speed that I don't need in
order to achieve this.

What I want to do is to treat the JSIMM backplane like a minivan.  The early
Chrysler minivan advertisements focused on how many user-achievable
configuration options their minivans offered.  They would show something like
50 top views of their van with 50 different seat/accessory combinations and
then say that in total, 250+ combinations were possible.  Minivans are all
about solving as many hauling problems as possible as cheaply as possible and
for the most part speed, beyond a certain minimum, is not even a consideration.

For the market that I am targeting the user is an 'embedded application
configurator' just like the minivan owner is a 'minivan application
configurator'.  I want an embedded application configurator to be able to
belly-up to a workbench that has a bunch of JSIMM backplanes, TStiks, muviums,
JStamps and JStiks sitting on it, along with a workstation running the Embedlet
wiring tool, and just snap together a solution to an embedded problem that they
have.

A point I want to emphasize here is that the flexibility is only needed during
configuration time.  For example, after the minivan has been configured to
solve the current problem (like take 6 kids to baseball practice) it is frozen
in that configuration until the next problem needs to be solved.  For the
typical family this configuration might change on a daily basis and for a
commercial application (like a delivery van) one configuration might last the
whole life of the vehicle.  The type of embedded JSIMM-based applications I am
thinking about need configuration-time flexibility, not runtime configuration
flexibility (like a typical peer-to-peer internet application would need).

IMHO, the killer market for Embedded Java is the flexible, configurable
embedded systems market.



EMBEDDED JAVA BASED PEER-TO-PEER 

A network-based computer is a computer that is made up of networked computing
nodes and Java is an operating system for a network-based computer.  A Java
based application really shines when it has the flexibility to appropriately
distribute parts of itself across the network nodes that it is spanning and I
want to use a JSIMM backplane to allow the application assembly and
configuration software to dynamically place the appropriate Java objects on the
appropriate nodes in order to achieve the most efficient solution to the
current embedded problem that is being solved.

For example, assuming a CNC Mill controller problem, the application assembly
software might decide that using a TStik (for the CNC's logic, network
connectivity and persistent storage needs), and 2 muvium based JSIMM cards (for
its realtime needs), is an efficient solution.  If at a later date a robot is
added to this system and the robot has realtime PID requirements, then perhaps
a JStamp is plugged into the JSIMM backplane and the application assembly
software can re-distribute the objects across the nodes to achieve an efficient
solution to the new problem.


So again, what I am shooting for is maximum flexibility at application
configuration time and for this goal, a slower flexible network beats a faster
inflexible one.

Ted

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