Develop Next Generation Mobile Applications And Services: Open Source Middleware On Its Way

The goal of the EU-funded MUSIC project is to supply a language tool and middleware environment to make it feasible to develop next generation mobile applications and services, which adapt automatically and seamlessly to the ever-changing context typically facing mobile users.

The MUSIC middleware can be applied for the development of adaptive applications for any type of target devices such as PCs, Laptops or mobile phones, which support at least Java 1.4 and must have OSGi available at run-time. The target device can be from different manufacturers using any underlying operating system (Windows Mobile, Symbian, Linux/Palm, BlackBerry, Mac OS X), which provide a Virtual Machine (VM) for Java 1.3. The application is running in one VM with MUSIC and has therefore to obey the restrictions of the VM version.

“The stronger requirements for the development environment will not cause a problem, because the developer is usually furnished with a standard PC, which easily fulfils all needs”, says Svein Hallsteinsen, SINTEF and Technical Leader for the MUSIC project.

“MUSIC uses Eclipse, Maven and SVN, which need at least Java 1.5, but we recommend Java 1.6. MUSIC applies the LGPL licence (GNU Lesser General Public License. The LGPL licence which does not apply their restrictions to the resulting software, so that it can be exploited under any chosen form”.

The MUSIC middleware could be interesting to users from different perspectives. Software developers might be able to reach higher levels of productivity in the development of self-adapting software by adopting MUSIC methods and tools.

Communication infrastructure operators might have a better means for optimizing the use and availability of their resources. 

Service providers (both public and commercial) might be able to reach and satisfy their users better to see an increased market for their products.

A Tutorial on MUSIC will be presented at the 5th International Conference on Open Source Systems on the 3rd of June 2009, in Stockholm, Sweden. The tutorial will provide an overview of the main results of the MUSIC project todate.

The final release of the MUSIC platform is expected in Q2 2010. It is the result of a consortium involving leading brand named organizations as well as leading Europea researchers and innovators. Interested parties may visit the IST-MUSIC web site, http://www.ist-music.eu for further development, research results and future releases of the MUSIC middleware.