News
Evans finds JVMs growing fast in embedded systems
- By John K. Waters
- August 12, 2002
Embedded systems developers appear to be implementing
Java Virtual Machines in increasing numbers, according to a survey completed
last month by Evans Data Corp. The survey found that 36% of embedded developers
currently use or plan to implement JVMs; a survey conducted six months earlier
found that 26% were using JVMs.
The reason for the upswing in JVM usage was twofold, said analysts at the
Santa Cruz, Calif.-based market researcher. Based on interviews with more than
400 developers actively working with embedded systems, the Embedded Systems
Developer Survey concluded, 'The inherent portability of Java applications from
one system to the next and Internet connectivity are the main reasons for Java
Virtual Machines' usage growth in embedded projects.'
Still, the developers surveyed were not without reservations about JVMs. They
cited performance issues and lack of real-time capabilities to be among the
primary disadvantages of Java still to be overcome.
'Despite these reservations,' said Tom Williams, Evans' embedded systems
analyst, 'the advantages of Java are so compelling that a great deal of activity
is being directed toward innovations to increase its performance in embedded
applications.'
The new survey also found that embedded Linux is continuing to attract
attention, but adoption rates have only slightly increased from the previous
survey. Developers cited uncertainty of standards/concerns about forking and not
enough commercial support as an embedded OS as the main perceived Linux
weaknesses. The main strengths of Linux as an embedded OS are, not surprisingly,
royalty-free licensing and full access to source code.
The survey also found:
-- Embedded system development is not without its share of starts, stops and
late delivery of projects. More than half of embedded systems developers report
that between 10 percent and 50 percent of their projects are abandoned. Of those
that are completed, a third take more than a year and 40 percent take between
six months to a year to complete.
-- Over the past year there has been a dramatic shift in those developers who
say they plan to use System-on-Chip in future designs. The number of those
planning an SoC design has shot up to over 30 percent.
About the Author
John K. Waters is a freelance writer based in Silicon Valley. He can be reached
at [email protected].