We were just at the Embedded Systems Conference showing off our Java-based platform before a live audience. For those who don't know, the ESC is the largest conference of its type in the world, focusing on the tiny computers that run everything from thermostats to military systems. Embedded is a fascinating world -- you can't possibly begin to imagine the diversity of applications that these systems run until you see a show like this. It gives you an appreciation for the "silent cycles" that don't grab any headlines but keep this modern world around us humming along. (Here's our official press release.)

We were invited into the Texas Instruments Pavilion, which is space that TI sets aside for its partners. We were very glad to participate, as TI is a major supplier of (among many products) the MSP430 that forms the core of our first pervasive computing platform. TI ships billions of microprocessors, microcontrollers, logic gates, and other semiconductors year after year -- which is a number that seems gigantic until you begin to understand all the products within which these chips are embedded.

There were a number of things that were great about the show, three of which stood out to me. First, it gave us a chance to talk with customers first-hand. It's always great to talk to customers, and was doubly-great since so many people were interested in how Java could actually work on this device class. The conversations followed a fairly distinct pattern: "No way! Really? How? (demo) Cool..." and then immediately followed by a host of questions on how to use it and how to get it. That's pretty sweet, because any time you can capture someone's attention at a trade show -- without, ahem, other visual aids shall we say -- you know you've got something truly compelling.

Second, it gave us a chance to check out some of the really nifty things that embedded systems do. We only needed to look over our shoulders to the other partners in the TI Pavilion for some great stuff. We talked to rechargeable battery providers, end-solution vendors, and scrappy inventors. Really exciting to see.

Last, the show reinforced to me what an impact Java is going to make in this space. Embedded is huge, truly huge, yet is a really difficult space. Most of that world is in a land of embedded C and other low-level languages -- not a place you want to be if you can avoid it. Problem is, for this industry there was no other choice. Sentilla is going to change all that, and it's going to be a real amazing ride when that happens. As I strolled the floor I imagined the show in the coming years and the impact that Java will have on the products and services there. An indulgence, to be sure, but true nonetheless....