DaveR

BusinessWeek Online

A bit oversimplified, but I thought might be an interesting read.

Thanks,
Dave

Rudy

Interesting article -- where does it say anything about Java?

(Here's a .pdf version of the article in case anyone has the same trouble I had -- Spybot was having fits loading the site due to it's dumping of advertising trackers, etc.)

firewired

I thought iDrive was written in Microsoft's code. From this article doesn't is sound like it is written in Java?

Rudy

Where? I must be going blind...

firewired

Java is where Microsoft and Sun part ways, and it has been a constant source of strife between the two companies. I thought it was strongly implied by the following paragraphs:

"The TLA allows a car's computer guts to stay current even while the car ages. BMW can continually write updates and add-ons that work together without testing, thanks to the underlying Java. Every time a car owner visits a BMW dealer, new software, like a new navigation system, can be added. Partners that know how to program in Java could also write software to run on iDrive. A rental-car company, for example, could automatically send information such as updated mileage rates to its customer via an on-board computer.

Sun engineers hope their Java will do for cars what it has already done for corporate computer networks. First developed in the early 1990s by famed programmer James Gosling and a group of Sun engineers, Java was intended for interactive TV. Needless to say, that didn't turn out to be the Next Big Thing. But the World Wide Web was.

Not long after Netscape Communications popularized the Web browser, Sun introduced Java as an ideal way to program for the Internet. It allowed for better security than traditional programming languages, yet it was more flexible and could run on many different kinds of computer operating systems.

VALLEY OUTPOST.? Today, nearly every major software company other than Microsoft uses Java to program everything from PCs to giant financial systems for multinational companies. Java also has found its way into cell phones, allowing customers to do things like download new ring tones or check e-mail. It adds similar flexibility to a car's computer system.

I was surprised because I thought Microsoft did the programing for the iDrive and they would never use Java. Java is a great choice because it plays well with others.

realtyman

Where? I must be going blind...
[/quote]

Rudy, It looks to me that you are linking to a different article, thus the blindness .

Rudy

That's the ticket! The article I found was the one I attached the .pdf of.

Obviously the other article mentions Java enough to explain where DaveR was coming from.

(I couldn't click his link directly -- the page wouldn't load due to Spybot blocking something that was being pushed down -- so I had to go at it from a different angle.)

Rudy

I'm not sure if Microsoft did the programming for iDrive -- all I've heard is that the system runs on some flavor of Windows (CE, or PocketPC I think). Most likely one of the versions that is streamlined enough to run directly from firmware so there's no need to boot from a disk drive, etc.

Whomever actually did the programming simply wrote things with Java running on the Windows platform, I guess.

Iceman

I guess you're right!

Member545

I'm not sure if Microsoft did the programming for iDrive -- all I've heard is that the system runs on some flavor of Windows (CE, or PocketPC I think). Most likely one of the versions that is streamlined enough to run directly from firmware so there's no need to boot from a disk drive, etc.

Whomever actually did the programming simply wrote things with Java running on the Windows platform, I guess.
[/quote]

Siemens VDO Automotive did the programming in Java, according to the article.