| Company / developer | Sun Microsystems |
|---|---|
| Working state | Discontinued |
| Supported platforms | ARM, PowerPC, SPARC, IA-32 |
JavaOS is an operating system with a Java virtual machine as a fundamental component, originally developed by Sun Microsystems.[1] Unlike Windows, Mac OS, Unix or Unix-like systems which are primarily written in the C programming language, JavaOS is primarily written in Java. It is now considered a legacy system.[2]
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JavaOS was originally announced in 1996 by Sun's JavaSoft subsidiary as a compact OS designed to run "in anything from net computers to pagers".[1] In 1998, Sun recruited IBM to accelerate its development.[3] IBM indicated its focus was more on network computer thin clients, specifically to replace traditional "green screen" and UNIX terminals, and to implement single application clients.[4]
In 1999, Sun and IBM announced the end of the JavaOS project.[5] As early as 2003, Sun materials referred to JavaOS as a "legacy technology", recommending migration to Java ME, leaving the choice of specific OS and Java environment to the implementer.[2]
The system is based on a hardware architecture native microkernel. The Java virtual machine runs on top of the microkernel.
Platforms that the kernel runs on include:
All device drivers are written in Java and executed by the virtual machine.
A graphics and windowing system implementing the AWT API is also written in Java.
JavaOS was designed to run on embedded systems and has applications in devices such as set top boxes, networking infrastructure and ATMs. It's also the operating system that comes with the JavaStation.
Other implementations of Java-based operating systems: