Developers must ensure that new development results in Java technology bytecodes that will endure, rather than native formats that need constant rework. Developers must participate in and contribute to peer communities, consider new development models such as open source, embrace XML, and work in the communities defining vocabularies for vertical industries. They must be ready for the world of Jini connection technology, where services are advertised and consumed spontaneously, rather than with prior static preparation. As The Cluetrain Manifesto puts it, marketplaces are once again conversations, and only those able to agree on standards and compete on implementation will survive, whatever the market. The players in the software marketplace who will succeed will be those able to work in the fluid and dynamic world of information exchange and ad-hoc cooperation.
Software dependencies hold businesses back.
Increasingly, companies not only need to have integrated internal systems, they also need to be ready to integrate with other companies to address fast-moving opportunities. To move forward, companies will increasingly need to provide APIs to themselves to ensure their seamless inclusion in personal and business swarms. For many companies, the business is the software, and for a nimble business, you need software with few dependencies. Standards-based systems answer this need. The most important behavior to develop, however, is that of community membership and participation.