OSGi - where/what is it? (Score 1)

Somebody pointed me to the OSGi thread was held here. As somebody that has been involved with the specifications from the beginning it wa a bit disappointing to see how little one of the prime audiences for OSGi knew about it.
The core idea of the OSGi is to provide a Java based platform for collaborative networked services. It is specified in painstaking detail:

• How to lifecycle services
• The deployment format of services
• Dynamically discover attachment and deattachment of services
• A number of basic services like logging, http, device drivers, configuration management, preferences, user admin, wiring etc.
• How to make it secure

The target for the OSGi has always been small devices so the total overhead is kept to a minimum. Implementations are available from a large number of vendors like Gatespace, IBM, ProSyst, SUN that actively participated in the specifications. As an example, a very cool product built with OSGi is the Possio PX 20 Bluetooth to 802.11b gateway. Many more companies are in the final stages of delivering products. The OSGi has recently opened a developer zone that may be relevent for people that want to know more. I think it is a pretty cool platform (OK, I am biased) that will end up in a lot of appliances and servers in the next few years.