San Mateo, California - August 10, 1998 - POET Software, a leading vendor of object databases and XML repositories, today announced that it is developing a modular object database written completely in the Java(tm) programming language and targeted at the embedded device market. The new database-code-named "Navajo" -is designed from the ground up to address the unique needs of the embedded device market. The database will leverage the code base from POET's fifth generation object database, which offers rich, native persistence for Java objects today. POET is also sponsoring a Design Partner Program to work with experts in the embedded device market, like Ericsson, to help develop and fine-tune Navajo's design requirements.
"The embedded device market has very unique requirements, such as power consumption, unique hardware and memory constraints and more," said Dirk Bartels, president and CEO of POET Software. "As a result, we could not simply repackage a desktop database and call it a database for the embedded device market. This requires a new architecture that provides a small footprint transactional object database foundation, with separate modular extensions that provide valuable add-on features like two-phase commit, XML and more."
Navajo addresses the unique requirements of the embedded market
The embedded device market has unique requirements such as a small modular footprint, Object Database Management Group (ODMG) standards support, zero administration and more. Navajo is the first object database designed specifically to address these requirements. Embedded devices require significantly more portability because of the diversity of embedded operating systems such as JavaOS(tm) and Windows CE(tm). To address this requirement, Navajo is written in the Java programming language, enabling it to run on any device with a Java(tm) virtual machine. Embedded devices also have limited memory and are therefore sensitive to the footprint of the applications. Navajo is designed as a modular application that provides a powerful transactional core database that, requiring less than 200K of RAM, is significantly smaller than the competition. This core database can be extended via lightweight modules that provide "load-on-demand" functionality such as two-phase commit and XML. As a result, the device manufacturer makes the ultimate design decision in balancing functionality and memory constraints. Because the embedded device market is so fast-paced, Navajo's support for the industry standard ODMG API is critical. Navajo is designed to address the embedded market by packing a powerful database into a small modular footprint running on Java technology and accessible via the industry standard ODMG API.
Navajo's object database architecture is ideal for application developers looking for a faster, easier and more intuitive solution for their Java applications. Navajo employs an object database architecture with rich support for transactions and queries. This architecture delivers advantages for both the device manufacturers and the developers building applications for the device. Because object databases require significantly less memory, they free up more memory for applications and data, reducing memory constraints and costs. From the developer's perspective, object databases mirror the object-oriented applications and GUIs used by embedded devices, making them easier to build upon. Using an object database, developers don't have to write mapping code to map objects into relational tables, the objects are simply persisted in their natural state. This architecture reduces code size, memory requirements and time to market.
POET brings tremendous expertise and mature code to the Navajo effort, providing for a fast time to market with powerful capabilities. POET was the first company to deliver a database that supported the ODMG API for Java. POET is the leading provider of embedded object databases today, with a strong focus on small footprint and zero administration. POET leverages this expertise and existing code to deliver a state-of-the-art solution for data storage on embedded devices. In addition, POET is leveraging its expertise in desktop and server connectivity to provide sophisticated replication capabilities. As a result, Navajo supports stand-alone and peer-to-peer configurations, and it can connect to the POET Object Server in a client/server configuration.
While POET provides expertise in the Java programming language and embedded databases, the company needed insight into the embedded device market. For this reason, POET created the Design Partner Program, to assemble a team of up to four non-competitive third parties to provide insight into design requirements-both hardware and software specific-and to test and deploy the Navajo database in their embedded devices. By providing design input and gaining early access to Navajo, Design Partners will be getting a product that addresses their needs and they will gain a time to market advantage over their competition. Ericsson is the first company to join POET's Design Partner Program, others will be announced soon. POET has shipped an alpha version of Navajo to Design Partners, and will deliver a final version in the Spring of 1999. The first Navajo design partner meeting is scheduled for this September.
"Ericsson is building a Java technology-based platform that will be deployed in various handheld communications devices," said David Jordan, Director of Database Technologies-New Concepts at Ericsson. "We need to directly store Java objects using the industry standard ODMG API, a powerful interface for object-level database access. We evaluated all of the potential database vendors and selected POET because they have the most experience in small footprint object storage in embedded environments, they were the first to implement the ODMG API, and they are really great people to work with. Ericsson is very excited about working with POET."
POET is now in talks with other potential partners regarding the remaining three slots in the Design Partner Program.
"Java technology has demonstrated its value in the embedded market through PersonalJava(tm), JavaOS and JavaCard(tm)," said Samir Mitra, director of marketing and business development at Sun Microsystems' Consumer and Embedded. "POET's Navajo provides a valuable application that leverages the standard ODMG API for Java with a powerful, scalable solution."
About POET Software
POET Software is the leading provider of object databases for Windows NT, providing unique value for packaged applications and embedded systems that require performance, scalability, small footprint and zero administration overhead. The company is capitalizing upon the powerful combination of its core database competency plus its expertise in providing SGML/XML solutions to drive innovation fueled by the XML technology wave. POET's new Content Management Suite is the leading solution enabling development of next-generation Web and eCommerce applications. Developers in leading companies throughout the U.S. and Europe use POET's award-winning technology. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., and can be reached at the POET Web site, www.poet.com.
POET Software, POET Object Server Suite and POET Content Management Suite are either registered trademarks or trademarks of POET Software Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Sun, Sun Microsystems, Java, PersonalJava, EmbeddedJava, JavaOS, Java Card and "Write Once, Run Anywhere" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
For more information, contact:
Mike Hogan
Vice President, Business Development
POET Software Corporation
Tel: +1 (650) 286-4640