As a Part II Computer Scientist, I have found myself facing a Dissertation Project this year. I have come across few things scarier than such a thing, especially when you have been ‘working’ on it for about 6 weeks and made little progress.

Quite possibly foolishly, I am implementing a SyncML server in Java and a number of client solutions for currently unsupported devices/software. (These will hopefully include Microsoft Outlook and PocketPC). Generally, I am a great supporter of Java—especially since I have discovered just how well it integrates with OS X. However, when attempting to use Java for such an application it becomes apparent that there are a few imbalances in the general architecture. There is a huge amount of support for web-based applications running in Java Servlets, but I have yet to find any support for a basic HTTP stream. After much deliberation, I am pretty convinced that the way forward is to make use of these Servlets and thankfully I can justify it given the nature of the project. However, I am just a little concerned that if should one want a lighter solution, the only option is an intimate relationship with the RFC!