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More on the future of Java:
Sun refines Java for the enterprise
By Michael Moeller and Antone Gonsalves, PC Week Online
September 4, 1998 6:30 pm ET
CUPERTINO, Calif. --- With Java's chances to unseat Windows on the
desktop fading, Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW) is conceding much of that
effort and turning its full attention to enterprise applications and
embedded systems.
Sun is developing a server-only JDK (Java Development Kit), a
compatibility testing suite for EJBs (Enterprise JavaBeans) and other
Java server applications, along with new embedded applications for Java.
Sun plans to introduce the new software later this year and ship it
early next year.
The moves come to light as Sun prepares to face off in court next week
against Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) in a last-ditch effort to get a complete
Java implementation supported in Microsoft's Web browser. Ironically,
for now at least, Sun seems to be giving up its battle to unseat Windows
as the client platform of choice for PCs connected to the Web.
"Some folks [at Sun] thought [Java] would replace Windows," said Jim
Mitchell, vice president of technology and architecture in Sun's Java
Software Division here. "I knew that would be something that could, if
ever, take years to happen."
Other executives were more pointed in explaining Sun's Java mission:
"Our focus is on the enterprise. Our strength is on the server and the
corporation, not the consumer," said Gina Cantoni, group product manager
for Java platforms.
Such admissions call into question what Sun hopes to gain by hearings
scheduled for next week in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif. Judge
Ronald Whyte will address Sun's May request to halt shipments of Window
98 and Microsoft's Java development tool, Visual J++.
Sun, Mitchell said, hopes a legal win against Microsoft, combined with
full JVM (Java Virtual Machine) support in Netscape Communications
Corp.'s (NSCP) forthcoming Communicator 5.0, will open more doors for
Java on the Web. In the meantime, for users who have mixed-browser
environments, Sun will push its Plug-in solution, which provides a
common virtual machine to run applications in Navigator and Internet
Explorer.
Sun's client strategy doesn't seem to worry corporate developers.
Although disappointed in general with Java's performance and product
delays, many believe Java's best role has always been on the back end.
"We never got to Java on the client and have always focused on the
server because we believe that's where its strengths lie," said John
Bruns, senior vice president of technical architecture for global
finance at NationsBanc Services Inc., in Chicago.
Sun's new server JDK, which it plans to introduce next quarter, will
include about a dozen enterprise APIs and EJBs and a new "connector" API
that will let enterprise applications more easily interface with Java
applications. The JDK will also include prototype server applications,
examples and documentation, and testing suites for EJBs and server JDK
installations.
The server kit contains much of what is in the current client JDK, minus
code for constructing GUIs, Java Foundation Classes, Swing GUI
components and two-dimensional rendering class libraries, officials
said.
Sun's problems with Java on Web clients were caused mainly by incomplete
JVM implementations in Netscape's Navigator. On the server side, Sun
will have plenty of backing, because IBM (IBM) , Sybase Inc. (SYBS) ,
Inprise Corp., Oracle Corp. (ORCL) , Netscape, Haht Software Inc.,
WebLogic Inc. and Bluestone Software Inc. are committed to supporting
EJBs. That's a big selling point for IT managers.
"We're going to be deeply involved in EJBs as the technology comes
along," said Bill Barnett, manager of distributed application
technologies at First Union National Bank, in Charlotte, N.C.
The best long-term opportunity for Java may lie in its original form as
a platform for embedded devices. Sun is implementing the JavaServer
engine, the foundation for all its embedded applications, across several
fronts. The first, an HTTP server dubbed NanoServer, is in beta and will
ship late this year.
Ultimately, Sun is counting on changing the idea of what a Web client
is.
"The PC is just one of the clients out there. It's going to be dwarfed
in the future by other types of clients that will want access to
information," said George Paolini, Sun's director of strategy and
marketing. "That is what the promise of Java is all about."
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