Proposal on Real-Time Extensions for the Java ª Fails to Receive NCITS Approval

The final NCITS reconsideration ballot for the approval of a project proposal on Real-Time Extensions for the Java ª Platform closed with a final tally of seven in favor, six against, five abstentions and one non-respondent. This final tally does not meet the requirements for approval.

Organizations voting in favor of the project commented that this activity would benefit from strong, active management by NCITS, as is required when evolving a technology with roots in commercial products. NCITS has shown that it is capable of providing such management and oversight, and has open, proven processes with built-in mechanisms to accommodate IPR concerns. With various milestones, formal ballots, and public reviews, many organizations were convinced that NCITS could address these issues as it has with other relevant information technologies.

Organizations voting against the project commented that with Sun's Intellectual Property concerns, and SunÕs stated willingness to increase the openness of their Java Community Process, they could not support the initiation of this new project in NCITS at this time.

NCITS was pleased that the RTJWG considered NCITS as the best forum for their open development of this standard. At the NCITS December 1998 meeting, NCITS members approved the establishment of a Technical Committee NCITS/R1 on Real-Time Computing Systems. This committee will be able to submit additional project proposals relating to Real-Time Computing Systems for consideration by NCITS in the future.

At the R1 organizational meeting held January 15, 1999, R1 created three ad hoc groups to address new project proposals for submission to NCITS in the areas of requirements for distributed Real-Time Java, domain definitions characterized by particular paradigms for the Real-Time community, and Real-Time extensions for the Java platform.

Anyone interested in participating in this activity should contact NCITS (NCITS@itic.org) or visit the R1 website at http://www.ncits.org/tc_home/r1.htm.

The National Committee for Information Technology Standards is an ANSI Accredited Committee which develops American National Standards for Information Technology.

NCITS's mission is to produce market-driven, voluntary consensus standards in the areas of:

NCITSÕs membership is comprised of many IT-related companies such as Apple Computer, AT&T, Compaq Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Lucent Technologies, Sony, Sun Microsystems and Xerox Corporation. Many IT corporate users such as DOD, DOE and NIST also participate.