Apple's Rendezvous comes to Windows, Linux, Java.
Since Mac OS X v10.2's release, Apple has promoted a zero-configuration networking technology it calls Rendezvous. Now Apple is further promoting the standard more with the release of Rendezvous technology for Java clients, POSIX platforms including Linux, Solaris and FreeBSD, and a “technology preview” for Windows. Developers for those platforms interested in finding out more can do so on Apple's Developer Web site.
Rendezvous enables Macs and compatible networked devices and services to automatically configure themselves and find each other without intervention from a system administrator or network devices like DHCP, DNS or directory servers. Based on an open industry standard called Zeroconf, Rendezvous' underpinning technology is not specific to the Mac, though Apple has attempted to promote it most effectively on Mac OS X.
Most of the software available for download from Apple's developer Web site is primarily intended for developers who can then incorporate the source code into their projects to make them Rendezvous-aware, but the Windows preview release also provides a Microsoft Internet Explorer plug-in and printer setup wizard for end users.
This is big news 'cause Rendezvous makes the Wintel UPnP solution look sick. The only problem is it comes from Apple.
Mac developers have shown a bunch of cool things you can do with Rendezvous – now they can take that code and run it on Windows and make some money. [Marc's Voice]