Microsoft has announced that it is implementing AllJoyn into Windows 10 and that developers in the Windows Insider program can develop against in-box Windows AllJoyn bits.
In implementing AllJoyn support in Windows products, Microsoft is contributing its proposed changes to the software framework back into the AllJoyn open source project. Microsoft Open Technologies is responsible for making sure these changes are implemented, working and tested on other platforms, including Linux, Android, iOS, OS X, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, ensuring interoperability of these changes.
AllJoyn is an open source software framework and set of services to enable interoperability among connected devices to create dynamic proximal networks. AllJoyn was developed by the AllSeen Alliance, a cross-industry collaboration to advance the Internet of Things (IoT) comprised of 80 members. Other members of the AllSeen Alliance include Sony, LG, Qualcomm, Panasonic, Sharp, Cisco, Haier and others.
The goal of the Alliance is to facilitate IoT, as the group collaborates on a universal software framework, based on AllJoyn open source code, which allows devices to autonomously discover and interact with nearby products regardless of their underlying proprietary technology or communications protocols.
The AllJoyn project has been designed for universality to encourage interoperability across platforms powering the “things” of the Internet of Things. When changes, optimizations, enhancements are contributed to the AllJoyn open source project by Microsoft, MS Open Tech intends to guarantee the interoperability of these changes.
The AllJoyn SDK provides bindings for various platforms including Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, OS X as well as programming languages including C, Java, Objective-C, JavaScript. MS Open Tech has set up an infrastructure for continuous cross platform verification for Microsoft updates to the AllJoyn SDK.
The infrastructure allows the following:
- Building the SDK on Android API 15 and 16, iOS, OS X, Windows Server 2012.
- Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 each for a combination of type/architecture/moe parameters.
- Running all test suites provided by Allseen Alliance on these platforms.
- Fixing any discovered issues whether originating from a change introduced by Microsoft or by other contributors.
- Working on the code updates from Microsoft Corp team to ensure stability of SDK and bindings.
- Expanding bindings with newly added features to all platforms and adding new tests if necessary to maintain code test coverage.
- All the changes are contributed to the AllJoyn Core public repository via existing Jira tracker.
This first preview of AllJoyn support in Windows 10 is now available and additional AllJoyn functionality will appear in the Windows Insider releases including WinRT APIs and codegen capabilities.
As a platform, AllJoyn was designed to offer the following:
- Includes core building blocks and contributed services, which simplify discovery, connectivity management, security and management of ad-hoc proximal networks among nearby devices.
- Enable service-level discovery, capabilities broadcasting, remote procedure calls, interface sharing, all benefits of Wi-Fi security, message marshaling.
- Ability to react to dynamic, ad-hoc network changes, which enables connections to persist as devices join and depart.
- Not just a low-level communications protocol, the platform solves higher-level problems.
- Enables horizontal market interoperability.
- Cross-platform, cross-brand, cross-physical layers.
- Bridging ecosystems for individual markets and product categories.
- Discover new use cases and create new business models.
- Interoperable across leading OS and embed devices like small home appliances that don't run an OS.
- Devices can interact regardless of how they are connected – Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Powerline, and others.
More information the Microsoft announcement that it is implementing AllJoyn into Windows 10 can be found on the Microsoft Open Technologies
blog. More information about the AllSeen Alliance and AllJoyn open source project is available on the Alliance
website.