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Cool Projects using JSR82 [1] : Marge
May 14, 2007
We sent the call out to JSR82 Java/Bluetooth developers everywhere - tell us about your project! And the replies have started to flow in. So today is the first in a regular series of short articles about projects (academic, hobbyist, commercial, whatever) that use Java/Bluetooth technology and JSR82 specifically in some way. We're structuring these as an interview-style Q&A with the developers themselves, so you hear it from the horse's mouth.
So without further ado, please welcome: The Marge Project!
The brainchild of Bruno Ghisi and Lucas Torri, Marge is about making Java Bluetooth application development even simpler for developers. As you may know, the JSR82 APIs are quite low-level, and tend to slavishly follow the underlying Bluetooth Stack profiles as defined in the Bluetooth Standard. All fine and well, but Java developers also need richer, simpler and more powerful abstractions that let them focus on the application they're trying to build, not the technology they're using. That's where Marge comes in. [Aside: Marge Project is named after Marge Simpson, yes that Marge Simpson. Why? Well - her hair is blue, big and tangled, something which the guys felt reflected the general state of Bluetooth for many Java developers. What a great name! :-) ]
Over to the guys themselves....
1. Give us a brief description of the project. How did it come about - what was the inspiration?
Marge is a framework to facilitate the development of Bluetooth enabled applications in Java, build in top of JSR82. The main idea (besides having fun with it) is to make the developers focus on the logical part of their software, hiding the JSR82 complexity, so they can build things easier.
Bruno was choosing a subject to his final year project and he saw this gap and started the idea of creating a project that could help developers in this way. After the initial startup, Lucas joined the project to help make it grows.
2. Tell us a little bit about yourselves. What's your background? What are you working on in general?
We are two guys from Florianópolis, Brazil. We study in the same University: Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) and work at the same company, which is called Praesto Convergence Ltda, a digital convergence company. We have an interest in subjects like digital convergence, mobility, wireless, digital tv, ubiquitous computing and other ones.
Bruno Ghisi is finishing his Information Systems degree this year and Lucas Torri is in the middle of his Computer Science course.
3. How long have you been working on the project
The idea started last year, but the first line of code was written 5 months ago. We are now planning a new version for very soon!
4. What stage is it at now?
Marge is now at 0.3.4 version and it is already simplifying the inquiry/search and communication process, with RFCOMM and L2CAP protocols. The framework is not finished yet and maybe never will be (not because we will leave it, but because we are always thinking about improving it). So, the next step is make it even more simple to use and implement the OBEX protocol.
5. What inspired it. Were there particular limitations of JSR82 or other technology that you were trying to address?
Talking with other developers, we have noticed that is quite difficult for someone to make applications that uses Bluetooth with Java, like remembering all the connection parameters, always implementing the inquiry/search process or opening streams. So, we are trying to simplify the use of Bluetooth in a certain common context, for example: inquiry for a device, searching for services, connecting and then exchanging information.
6. What was the biggest problem or roadblock you had to deal with in the project?
Make it suitable to Java ME and Java SE and create automated tests to the framework.
7. How do you see the results of the project being used?
The project is new and because that, there are not too many people using it yet. Anyway, we believe the project has a good chance to be successful, and we are working for make it so! In the worst case, we will use it to change music in our laptops without the need to get up out of bed =P
8. What's next? What do you hope to work on over the next 12 months?
We now want to make it even easier to use and implement the OBEX protocol. Besides this, create a better documentation, make specific Marge extensions for J2ME and J2SE, improve the current demos and also create new ones. In addition, we met a guy called Neto Marin that will help with a Marge extension for J2ME games.
9. Anything else I should have asked you? Anything else you'd like to say?
In the beginning, we said that one of the main ideas of the project was to have fun, and that's true, cause when it was started our wishes weren't just to build a framework, but also get people together and build a bluetooth java community, which is the whole idea of Marge.
Also it's worth mentioning how people can collaborate with the project. We're interested not only in coding help but also with documentation (tutorials, cookbooks, howto's, etc), translation for other languages, promoting the project, using it and sending ideas or doubts, 'cause it helps us to make it better.
Thanks for giving this space to promote Marge. If anybody is interested and curious about the Project, can join us on http://marge.dev.java.net, everybody is welcome!
Comments
Thanks again for this space! It is amazing!
Just telling to the blog readers that we have spent this whole weekend working in a new version of Marge, that will be much better than this actual one. Hope people enjoy it, will be avaliable soon!
Cheers,
Bruno