Lothar Merk

Web Application Servers

In recent years, the World Wide Web has evolved from a network of static information to a dynamic application deployment and management system.

What Pervasive Computing Is All About

The upcoming industrialization of the 19th century was a result of the steam engine, which was developed by James Watt. Energy was used to extend the power and strength of the workers and soon became a key factor of the economy. Since generated energy could not be transmitted over distances at those times, the engines and machines were concentrated at those locations where energy was produced. Large mills and plants were the typical symbol of that era.

Portals and Access Services

We are facing a flood of information every day. It is a challenge to find the information we need and filter out all the non relevant data. Portal services help to get a more structured and user centric access to content. They provide channels bundling content related to specific topics. The physical network access can be part of the offering too. The portal company often exposes the front-end interface integrating other embedded service providers, which contribute content or applications. That concept is quite similar to today’s shopping malls.

Internet Protocols and Formats

This chapter provides an overview of standard protocols and formats used for data communication on the Internet.

Travel and Business Services

The travel industry evolved from centralized reservation systems, which were only accessed by travel agencies, to direct customer interaction using the Internet. The next step is extending the availability of travel agency services to ubiquity, allowing travelers to take advantage of these services with the help of mobile devices, even at the time these travelers are already on the road. It seams to be self-evident that many early adopters of Pervasive Computing devices were mobile professionals, traveling frequently on business.

Information Access Devices

Handheld computers comprise the largest group of Internet connectable pervasive devices. They are small, lightweight, and fit into pockets. A stylus is used to tap on a touch screen to activate applications or enter data. Currently two major operating systems are applied on handheld devices: Palm OS and Windows CE.

Open Card Application Framework - ein objektorientiertes Framework zur visuellen Erstellung von Smartcard-Anwendungen

In diesem Artikel wird eine Architektur fur die visuelle Entwicklung von Smartcard Losungen vorgestellt. Der Einsatz von Java und der Java Beans Technologie ermoglicht es, Smartcard Anwendungen intuitiv und schnell in einer visuellen Entwicklungsumgebung zu erstellen. Komplexe Losungen konnen auf einfache Weise aus flexiblen Komponenten zusammengefugt werden, ohne das der Anwendungsprogrammierer uber detailliertes Smartcard Know-how verfugen mus. Eine klare Aufteilung in Benutzerschnittstelle, Anwendungslogik und kartenbezogenen Teil von Anwendungen, die auf diesem Framework basieren, gewahrleistet die Austauschbarkeit von hersteller- und kartenbezogenen Komponenten. Entwickelte Losungen sind in der Lage, mit verschiedensten Typen von Smartcards zu arbeiten - von den heute verbreiteten dateiorientierten Smartcards bis hin zu Java Cards.