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Battle brewing over control of Java
By Mary Jo Foley and Deborah Gage, Sm@rt Reseller
April 2, 1999 12:37 PM PT
URL: zdnet.com
While Sun Microsystems Inc. continues to enhance Java, Microsoft, Novell and Intel, among others, each are pushing forward with plans that could undermine Sun's control of the development language.
Microsoft is working on several initiatives it hopes will one-up the cross-platform promises of Java.
Microsoft Research is developing a virtual machine, which it calls CVM, based on technology it acquired a couple of years back when it bought Colusa Software Inc. Colusa originally was building a run-time language similar to Visual Basic. But CVM goes beyond this; it will act as a virtual machine running on multiple platforms that can run programs written in C++, Visual Basic, Java and other languages.
Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) was slated to demonstrate CVM at the Software Development West show in May in San Francisco, but has decided to cancel its presentation, claiming it did not fit with the show's "visionary" theme, says a Microsoft spokeswoman.
At least one developer suggested earlier this year that Microsoft might use Colusa technology as the foundation for its COOL programming effort. COOL is a Microsoft programming language alternative to Java which will incorporate elements of C++ and Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM), say developers briefed by Microsoft.
It is unclear whether or not Microsoft will turn COOL into a product, but the company is serious about porting its tools and middleware beyond Windows and NT, according to Charles Stevens, vice president of Microsoft's Application Developers Customer Unit.
Stevens says Microsoft's COOL would be a likely candidate to be made available on multiple operating systems under the charter of the newly created Developer Division, headed by Paul Maritz.
Microsoft continues to insist it isn't abandoning Java and will continue to support its Visual J++ user base, regardless of the outcome of the Sun vs. Microsoft lawsuit.
But Gartner Group vice president David Smith says initiatives like COOL and CVM are strong indicators that "Microsoft is phasing Java out." Smith says, "They're definitely winding it down. They've realized any money spent on Java is just a waste at this point."
Other battles brewing
Whether Microsoft attempts to circumvent or support Java will have relatively little impact on other Java battles brewing.
Java performance is due to get a boost this month when Sun (Nasdaq:SUNW) ships its long-awaited HotSpot Java Virtual Machine, but the boost may not be big enough for Novell Inc.
Novell (Nasdaq:NOVL) says that in certain areas Intel Corp. (Nasdaq:INTC) has done a better job of optimizing Java, and it wants to combine parts of HotSpot with parts of Intel's NetFire and other Java technologies to create the best Virtual Machine for NetWare. Novell last June announced an alliance with Intel to develop NetFire, a Java Virtual Machine for NetWare 5.
Novell is also in talks with Java compiler vendors, including Tower Technology and Instantiations, and has applied for a patent on some of its own Java technology, although Novell CTO Glen Ricart will not provide details. Ricart says Novell's project revolves around how Novell can create the best Java Virtual Machine.
Mother, may I?
Whether Sun will allow Novell to carry out its project is unclear. Intel, Tower and Instantiations all have cleanroom technology, according to Novell, although Sun Vice President Jim Mitchell says that is no longer a problem under Sun's Community Source License. Sun revised its Java licensing procedures in December and will also continue over time to reduce the amount of shared code, or code licensees can't modify.
However, Sun will sell HotSpot under a separate license, and Mitchell says Novell can't use parts of it without negotiating with Sun.
"HotSpot is clearly a value-add -- it's not good for everything," he said. "You wouldn't use HotSpot in an embedded system because it generates native code that takes up space. But if Novell wanted to license something and combine it with cleanroom code, we could have a separate side negotiation. We all want to differentiate without breaking the benefits of Java."
HotSpot is not currently scheduled to be part of Sun's Community Source License, although Mitchell says "Sun never says 'never'."
Sun will ship HotSpot for SPARC and Intel the end of April and is treating it as an add-in to Java 2. HP has licensed HotSpot to port to PA-RISC and has also licensed Tower.
Intel had no comment.
Scott Berinato, PCWeek, contributed to this report
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