Kojax/Kirana: What Microsoft should have announced at JavaOne
Microsoft officials keynoted the JavaOne conference in San Francisco on June 4, and used their platform to talk up the importance of reference apps for designing for interoperability.
It's a shame Microsoft didn't use the JavaOne pulpit, instead, to show off Kojax, still unannounced Microsoft mobile AJAX platform.
Last time I wrote about Kojax, back in November 2008, I heard that it would enable developers to use a combination of Visual Studio tools and JavaScript to write applets on and for Java-based mobile phones. Since then, I've been continuing to collect Kojax tips and have amassed a bit more information about it -- as well as a possible new codename, Kirana, for the technology.
(Microsoft does frequently change codenames while developing products to try to thwart us codename sleuths, so a change from Kojax to Kirana wouldn't surprise me in the least.)
To be up-front: Microsoft isn't confirming or acknowledging any of my information, relegating it to the infamous "rumors and speculation" category. But I think my sources are pretty good on this. So here goes....
Kojax/Kirana is one of Microsoft's ever-expanding family of "write once/deploy everywhere" technologies. It will combine a new development/publishing model with an electronic "wallet." Developers can write lightweight Kojax/Kirana applets in JavaScript, right on their cell phones. Consumers will be able to purchase and pay for these applets using the aforementioned electronic wallet.
Developers will use a Kojax/Kirana software development kit (SDK) to create apps, which they will upload to a repository (hosted, most likely, in Microsoft's Azure cloud). Telco providers will be the ones downloading these applications to their own devices/environments, and subsequently making them available to consumers, my sources explained.
Given that many users in developing countries use phones in lieu of PCs, Microsoft is believed to be targeting Kojax/Kirana first and foremost at developers and service providers in emerging markets. I still have no leaks on when Microsoft may be planning to field a test build or final build of Kojax/Kirana, but given the way fires are being lit under Microsoft's mobile and emerging-market businesses, I'd be the platform could debut sooner rather than later.