The US National Retail Federation, which believes that Java will be the predominant programming language within the next five or ten years, has side-stepped Redmond’s clutches and endorsed a set of programming interfaces called JavaPOS for developing Java- based retail equipment and applications. Microsoft Corp says it doesn’t think JavaPOS is necessary as a separate process. Its OLE point-of-sale (OPOS) specification is endorsed by the Association of Retail Technology Standards, an international – rather than North American – trade body, comprising some 310 manufacturers. We don’t know how it [NRF/JavaPOS] unifies the industry, Microsoft says. It also believes Windows CE will enable suppliers to build POS equipment more cheaply than they can using Java-based NC network computer technologies. Microsoft says it will release a new version of its ActiveStore software kit for writing in-store OPOS applications using Windows NT on February 6th and will introduce a new 1.3 release of OPOS code in March.
