JATAF (Java Application Terminal Alignment Framework) is a UTI programme: a collaborative project that involves companies and developers who work together to make Java ME a truly ubiquitous platform for application deployment on mobile devices. Dedicated to addressing Java ME fragmentation, JATAF's founding members include Orange, Sony Ericsson, Sun Microsystems, Vodafone.
Despite the emergence of other technologies, the Java platform is the premier target for cross-platform applications. Efforts such as MSA (JSR 248) continue to enable greater consistency among Java ME implementations through the solidification of Java specifications. However, these efforts cannot address all perceived fragmentation issues, as they are confined to the scope of the specifications. JATAF addresses this gap.
The goal of JATAF is to deliver test cases which address fragmentation issues. Test cases which become approved by the JATAF technical board will be open source, distributed in a JATAF release, and built to run on the Java Device Test Framework.
JATAF allows developers to contribute use cases addressing fragmentation-related issues such as inconsistent behavior of volume controls across different implementations. These use cases will be assessed and evaluated by the JATAF technical technical board and may be included in the JATAF Tests. Operators, manufacturers and developers can then execute these tests to ensure device implementations function consistently and predictably across a wide range of deployment scenarios.
JATAF addresses platform implementation consistency and quality - ensuring that implementations behave exactly as specified, regardless of the platform.
The philosophy behind JATAF is that the more developers contribute to the test cases, the faster defragmentation of the underlying platforms can happen, thus lowering testing and porting costs for developers.
With this goal in mind, JATAF will become an open-source community of developers, OEMs and carriers who contribute and run test cases.
Participation in the community is free and open to all.
