Some good research done at IBM is finally seeing the light of day. Here is an ACM Queue article that shows that “Java is now an option for realtime [sic!] application programming.

For those who do not know, “real-time” systems are those systems that have a “penalty” associated with missing a time requirement. This penalty, of course, can vary widely, all the way to loss of life. Very often, you will encounter “real-time” systems in the embedded world, i.e., where software and hardware are closely integrated (e.g., a medical radiation device or a cell phone).

This technology can also be found in IBM’s new WebSphere Real Time. Although Java is not currently the main language of our systems customers (C++ and Ada are more prevalent, followed by C), the future seems bright in that direction!