Are There Any JXTA Users Out There?

Whatsmynickname passes along this query: "I wasn't aware of the JXTA protocol for P2P, but I've recently been tasked to look into it. Has anyone done any serious work with JXTA yet? Is this protocol going anywhere yet? Yeah, I've searched Slashdot, but past articles, did not leave me with a warm-and-fuzzy feeling that big things are happening with JXTA. Looking at the C version of JXTA, nothing much has gone on there, judging by the last time source code has been updated. When you consider it only supports a http transport, the C version looks like it needs work. The java side has a demo program that I've played around with and looked at via a network sniffer. So far, I've had some reservations about using XML as it's message framework, and the model used for peer discovery (a peer sends a discovery msg with some or all other peers replying). Comments?" For those of you who have tried JXTA and were let down, what drove you away. For those of you still using JXTA, what keeps you using it as opposed to other P2P frameworks?

Have used it briefly

[Tomah4wk]

I was commisioned to do a small project with JXTA (cant give details sorry) and it found it to be excellent for the task in hand. The peer discovery and firewall piercing aspects, plus the fact that you can have peers that arent really peers, but use a sort of proxy system (think on cell phone / pda) are great. I never used the C bindings so cant comment there, but for our use it was superb. The project originally was using jini, but as you probably know jini is java specific, wheras the jxta protocol can be programmed in anything you want. Now the system uses jxta globally, and jini on local networks, so we had to write a sort of jxta->jini->jxta bridge, but it works very well. On a side note the peer grouping and control features of jxta are unrivaled by anything else i looked at.

JXTA-software as platform Global Issues Networks

[corlie]

"Is this protocol (JXTA) going anywhere yet? "

Two days ago, I asked Daniel Brookshier, author of articles and a book about JXTA (1), if JXTA-compliant collaboration software could become the platform of choice for socalled Global Issues Networks.

Global Issues Networks are proposed by Jean Francois Rischard, World Bank's vice-president for Europe, in solving the biggest worldproblems (2). Global Issues Networks start in Rischard's vision with a limit number of specialists, and should grow to many thousands of people in a few years time. In this networks people collaborate to define ways for solutions and should push governments in this directions. Global Issues Networks will need fast scaleable collaboration software-solutions.

I asked Daniel also how much time it will take to grow the technology?

His response:
"Yes, indeed JXTA will work. I can't imagine it taking too long to develop either. The next release should add the final touches to the ID system to make collaboration much easier to implement. As far as scalability, I don't see any problems. As to platform of choice, I believe that JXTA is the only platform that makes sense. The closed networks like Groove do not cause innovation. Specialty networks like Gnutella just don't have the breadth of API to do collaboration".

I hope you find this information interesting.

Regards,
Cor
(1) Article: Brookshier, D. (december 2002) "JXTA: P2P grows up". [sun.com]

Book: "JXTA: Java(TM) P2P Programming" [amazon.com]

(2) www.rischard.net [rischard.net]