Andy:
> You state that no software developer will accept MSFT's version of Java, but why would they go with Sun's version of JAVA if it now became incompatible with Windows? What would be the incentive for going with Sun's Java?
But you see the new computing model will not be just the windows! I just came out of an architectural meeting and I and others mentioned the thin client phrase so many times that toward the end someone said, gee I feel I've lost a lot of weight! The idea is to have all software, to run everywhere, and I mean literally] everywhere. Not just the Wintel platform, or UNIX or Macintosh or VMS, but on digital web TVs, home appliances, shuttles going to the moon or Mars, hand held CEs, cellular phones, and you name it. Software written once and used everywhere. Companies such as LSI Logic, Atmel, Altera, etc. Will be developing specialized chips with the JAVA VM embedded inside those chips. These chips are then used in a vast number of thin client machines that will be capable of running the software that has been developed under Java (and this is pure Java as defined, developed and marketed by Sun, and NOT the one being re-defined by Microsoft)! It is too late for Microsoft to do such a redefinition of the technology because it did accept it as was defined by Sun about 2 years ago, as so did the rest of the industry. Microsoft can not simply all of a sudden deviates from the rest of the industry. It is in absolutely no position to do so! Therefore software vendors, database companies and such will not in any way abide to Microsoft's version of Java! It simply will not work for them because their software will not longer be running just on Windows! And note that individual developers are irrelevant here! Up to this point the majority of them had to learn Microsofts way of doing things mainly because they had no other choice. Therefore even if developers do not want to (or do not like to) learn the Java technology they are forced to do so because this is what makes their employer rich and therefore pays their pay check every month! So there will automatically be a shift in the acceptance of the technology (and it already has happened greatly). This is nothing new, just like how mainframe engineers ended up shifting their skills to Macintosh (when it became a hot item back in the early 80's), followed by them again shifting their skills to Windows due to Microsoft pushing it on IBM, they are once more shifting their skills toward Java (and away from Windows specific ). In fact I go a bit further and suggest that soon Windows will become like Macintosh as far as trend is concerned. Microsoft Windows will soon simply be irrelevant to what the computing world would be doing! Just look at Memphis (or as the new name is called for it Windows 98), do you see any excitement out of it, and that is supposed to be a big giant browser (something that in my opinion is very interesting).
So Microsoft can go on and claim that they will not follow Sun's definition of Java, it will be similar to listening to a mosquito flying around and making irritating noises. But that is as far as it will go: just the irritation and making non sense noises!
Regards,
Addi Jamshidi |
