IBM to Unveil New Software to Speed Up Programs on Windows
Armonk, New York, April 9 (Bloomberg) -- International Business Machines Corp. will release software that speeds up applications on Microsoft Corp. operating systems, giving software developers an alternative to Microsoft's own program.
The software from IBM, the world's largest computer maker, will run applications written in Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java programming language 30 percent faster than other software now available, IBM said. Unlike most programs, Java applications can run on different operating systems.
Sun has charged in a federal court that Microsoft's version of the so-called Java virtual machine software that speeds up Java's performance on Windows software makes it difficult for those applications to run on non-Windows operating systems. The IBM software will free developers to create applications without worrying about Microsoft's support for Java, analysts said.
''There hasn't been an alternative in the market,'' said Tim Sloane, an analyst at Boston researcher the Aberdeen Group. ''If IBM can deliver, this could be an important step for the industry.''
Sun claims Microsoft misused Java, which is intended to run equally well on all computer systems, because it viewed it as a threat to the dominance of Windows, which runs most of the world's personal computers.
In January, Sun asked the court to make permanent preliminary rulings that Microsoft misused Java by making applications run best on Windows. Sun filed four motions for summary judgment for breach of contract, copyright infringement and trademark infringement, and unfair competition.
Sun's Endorsement
Sun also has its own software that speeds up Java applications on Windows, although it's not as fast as Microsoft's program. Sun is endorsing IBM's new software, IBM said.
The new software will respond to a major criticism of Java applications -- that they're too slow, said Pat Sueltz, IBM's general manager of Java software.
''There are two points people ask. 'How (Java) performs and how does it work in a Windows environment.' Now we've addressed both of those,'' she said.
Java applications will still run slower than programs designed for a specific operating system, although the speed gap is closing, IBM said.
The new software will be available free on the Internet.
Apr/12/1999 0:03
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