products, will be the arrival of more efficient and less costly computing and communi- cations technologies. On the dark side, Oxygen is bound to raise privacy concerns. The Orwellian prospect of having microphones and cameras poking out of every corner will certainly discomfort more than a few people. Security could also become a major issue, with hackers potentially breaking into the system to spy on users and steal information. Yet MIT maintains that Oxygen, over the long run, will be secure and will lead to more satisfied and productive computer users. If the school and its part- ners can bring the general public over to its side, Oxygen could turn out to be the great technology milestone of the 21st century. 2.7 THE OBJE SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE As the telecom world becomes increasingly complex and interconnected, imagine a platform that would allow people and businesses to access and deliver information and services from anywhere, on any device, in a completely hassle-free, ad hoc manner. Such a platform would dispose of the need to load device drivers and the need to worry about compatibility issues or complicated configurations. Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) believes it has just such a technology with its Obje software, which uses mobile code (such as Java) to enable devices to "teach" each other how to interoperate in a user-friendly way. THE OBJE SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE The Obje software architecture is an interconnection technology that aims to allow digital devices and services to easily interoperate over both wired and wireless networks. At the architecture's heart is a simple "meta standard" for interoperation that allows users to access information and services from any- where, on an ad hoc basis. By providing a uniform solution to interoperation, the Obje platform is designed to make it easier for telecom vendors to build devices and services that work together. Putting assembly control into the hands of end users also reduces the burden of developing applications because particular customiz