Kojax/Kirana: What Microsoft should have announced at JavaOne
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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.