The controversy continues over the Java Real-Time Working Group, which has been created by Hewlett-Packard Co, Microsoft Corp and others to develop real-time extensions to Java in what they call an open process. HP says the group now has 35 members – Sun and its Java buddy IBM are not in it – but has yet to vote on nominations for chairperson. Standards bodies that want to sponsor the process also presented their cases, including The Open Group and the National Center for Information Technology Standardization. The group has taken off from NIST’s Requirements Working Group for Real-time Extensions, which published an outline of a specification for real-time extensions to Java written by Omron Corp and Access Co Ltd. A draft of the real-time extensions to Java created by the Java Real-time Working Group are supposed to be ready for public review by June of next year. Sun – which participated in the Requirements Working Group – has tried to head off the HP/Microsoft splinter group by getting its Java licensees to stand up and support its new Java Embedded Server (formerly the Nanoserver), and real-time API extensions, and by making noises about creating a process for developing real-time Java extensions in which the licensees could participate on a confidential basis. According to some companies involved in the Requirements Working Group for Real-time Extensions, Sun also seemed to have put together an army of folks who do nothing but call JVM vendors and clone licensees and read them the riot act about the trademark and rules of use.
