Sun Microsystems expects that technologies like its Javafx Script scripting language, and Javafx Mobile software for mobile devices will help bridge the digital divide.
“We think that the cellphone is the primary way folks will access the internet for the first time,” Scott McNealy, the company's cofounder and chairman, told reporters in a recent conference call.
Sun previewed Javafx Script, a Java scripting language for creating content and applications, at the Javaone conference in San Francisco. Javafx applications will run on desktop browsers and Javafx Mobile, which was also previewed at Javaone. The integrated software for mobile phones will lower the cost of phones, the company claims.
The digital divide will not get solved with mainframes and PCs, but with thin client computing, software-as-a-service, large centralised grids, Java-enabled phones, and open-source software and microprocessor technology, and Sun is well-placed in these areas, McNealy said.
Focusing on bridging the digital divide can be profitable, according to McNealy. The roll out of services by telecommunications services companies, internet service providers, and cable operators, and digital divide projects by governments can translate into a market opportunities for Sun’s business in IT infrastructure, he said.
