HP, Microsoft & 12 Others Form New Java Panel
Matt Hines, Newsbytes
11/03/98
Newsbytes News Network
(c) Copyright 1998 Post-Newsweek Business Information, Inc. All rights reserved.
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1998 NOV 3 (NB). Hewlett-Packard Co. [NYSE:HWP], Microsoft Corp. [NASDAQ:MSFT], and 12 other companies have banded together in a new effort to create versions of Sun Microsystems' [NASDAQ:SUNW] Java programming language, for use in electronic machines other than computers. HP spokesmen said that the panel will develop new "flavors" of Java for devices like scientific equipment and computer peripherals.
First reported by the Wall Street Journal, the panel is likely to cause a stir at Sun. The firm bristled earlier this year when competitor HP announced that it was building "Chai," a version of the "write once, run anywhere" Java programming language for machines other than computers, which the language was originally created for. HP has contended since March, when it unveiled its plans around Chai, that Sun has been allowed to "control" Java for too long. Sun officials refused to comment on the matter this morning.
The newly created panel will be called the Real-Time Java Working Group, HP spokesmen said. According to the firm, the group will try to keep Sun from controlling the market for Java in electronic devices.
Joining HP and Microsoft in the group are Siemens AG and Rockwell Collins, a unit of Rockwell International Corp. Officials indicated that the group will also look to gain support by partnering with a yet-to-be-determined industry standards committee.
Microsoft was the first developer to announce that it will be a part of the HP-led panel but this comes as no surprise. The giant software company and Sun have had a drawn out fought over the use of Java, which is currently being decided in a contract infringement suit in the US District Court of San Jose, Calif.
During the trial, Sun argued that Microsoft had illegally altered Java to work best with its Windows operating system. Microsoft has testified that it has operated within the terms of a convoluted deal it signed to license Java from Sun.
Microsoft spokesmen said that the company's participation in the group is based on the firm's desire to become a major player in the Java-for-electronics market, not out of spite against Sun.
A spokesman said that Microsoft wants to ensure that no one developer controls this entire sector.
However, HP officials confirmed that its relationship with Sun is not as rocky as Microsoft's. HP will continue to work with the software vendor in order to drive Java technology on workstations and servers, spokesmen said.
Reported by Newsbytes News Network, newsbytes.com
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