Java, anyone?
Posted by Courtney E. Howard
"What is the deal with COTS components in mil-aero embedded software ?" Sorry to wax nostalgic there, with my spot-on impression of Jerry Seinfeld ... My likely feeble attempt at humor aside, I do have a valid question or two about the use of open-source code and software components in military and aerospace applications.
I talk to a great deal of industry pundits, and conflicting viewpoints abound with regard to commercial components (including open-source code and Java , C, and C++ programming languages, as examples) in mil-aero software solutions.
Some say the use of Java and open source in mil-aero applications is widespread. Others say both are not accepted in mil-aero projects. Some say no open source code, especially of questionable origin, should be used in mil-aero. Open source proponents profess the time and cost savings, the expanded feature sets, and the community of thousands upon thousands of developers and programmers constantly working on and improving software components. Some believe Ada is the only way to go, others rely on Java and look forward to the upcoming release of a secure version.
What say you?
I invite you to share your input, insights, comments, questions, and experiences -- here, in our forum. If you'll be at the Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum in San Diego next week, perhaps we can discuss it over some java (pun intended).
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
