8. Java/native interface

The Java/native interface is useful in two types of applications:

• interaction with existing code written in another language ;

• replacing a Java implementation with more efficient code. For example, since interrupts often have to be processed under time pressure, the programmer writes the interrupt processing routines in C.

To facilitate the mixing of code written in Java and other languages, Sun Microsystems has defined a mechanism called JNI (Java Native Interface) . All the possibilities offered by the JNI are set out here, and the needs of the embedded world with regard...