As the outline of the T-Engine Project that began last year has firmed, and since those who will cooperate with us have also increased in number, it has come about that we formed the T-Engine Forum as a body for promoting T-Engine. A general meeting for establishing the forum was held on June 24, and by the day in question we received the surprising participation of as many as 22 companies, which we as originators are very happy about. As for the microprocessors that will be supported, it has come about that almost all those for embedded use, SH, M32, ARM, and MIPS, will be covered.
First off, I'm delighted that a T-Engine board that has actually been implemented has been manufactured and that the project has moved one step forward. Hereafter, lots of middleware that runs on top of this will come into existence. At present, developers are proceeding with preparations directed toward the yearend TRON show so that it will be possible to release middleware that runs on top of T-Engine and T-Kernel to people who develop applications. In fact, among these middleware there are even some things that are already being used in the development of application software, but getting to where they can be safely used by anyone will come at the end of the year.
What's different between T-Engine and T-Kernel and what's been done up to now is that together with prescribing a standard real-time operating system on top of standard hardware and aiming activating the distribution of middleware that that runs on top of these, having foreseen that security will be required even in the embedded field in the age of ubiquitous computing, we have made these compatible with a security architecture for networks called eTRON.
When we introduce new technology, there are two streams. Even in the embedded field, there are also coming to appear systems with completely remodeled architectures based on object orientation and aspect orientation. Completely new technology is essential for progress, but in the embedded field resources are both few, and because execution efficiency is very important, the progress of mature technology is also important. Furthermore, if it doesn't run in real time, it's meaningless. Our approach is not to start with an entirely blank sheet of paper and create an entirely new architecture; rather, we have adopted a methodology in which we will introduce new blood on top of established orthodox technology that is stable. I think that that will contribute to the Japanese electronics industry in the shortest time.
T-Engine was originally thought of as a base platform for spreading ubiquitous computing, but reports on ubiquitous computing have both increased and an explosive boom is also approaching. Ubiquitous computing differs with the application model of computing up to now, and thus it will give rise to a paradigm change. For details, I would like you to read as a reference my Yubikitasu konpyuuta kakumei: jisedai shakai-no sekai hyoojun [The ubiquitous computer revolution: the world standard of the next generation society] (Kadokawa Shoten). We are leading the world launching this new platform and project; I pray that we will be able to contribute to leading-edge technology.
The above opinion piece by TRON Project Leader Ken Sakamura appeared on page 1 of Vol. 76 of TRONWARE. It was translated and loaded onto this page with the permission of Personal Media Corporation.
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Copyright © 2002 Sakamura Laboratory, University Museum, University of Tokyo