Sun Offers Java VM Alternative

Microsoft's decision to exclude a Java Virtual Machine from its next consumer operating system and browser signals an era in which Web site operators can't assume users will be able to run Java applications on their desktops.

In response to Microsoft, Java creator Sun Microsystems said last week it is preparing a replacement virtual machine that can run on Windows XP and Internet Explorer 6 but will have to be manually installed by users of those products.The moves are part of an ongoing feud between the two vendors that started when Sun sued Microsoft in 1997 for altering Java without permission. Java has been used on many Web sites to add functionality to pages, such as automatically populating form fields or adding animation to ad banners.

The lack of a native Java compiler in XP could spur more site operators toward Java alternatives, analysts said. Indeed, Microsoft is including in XP support for its own Javalike technology called C# (C-Sharp). If C# catches on, sites could be forced to support both Java and the Microsoft alternative, said Giga Information Group analyst Rob Enderle.

The flip side is that Java developers won't have to worry about writing apps to work with both Microsoft and Sun's implementations of the original Java language.

"Java developers had to develop Java programs compatible with multiple specifications, or they had to force the installation of another virtual machine to support the latest Java features," said Arnaud Lucas, president of the Houston Java User Group. "As a consequence, installations of Java stand-alone programs and applets were messy with unpredictable results."

Businesses could still push Java onto the desktops of IE6 users by prompting those users to download a plug-in that includes a Microsoft-made JVM. But as part of Microsoft's settlement with Sun earlier this year, the latest Microsoft virtual machine is built on the older Java 1.1.4. Sun, meanwhile, is working on a JVM that will be based on the latest version of Java and that XP users can download so browsers can run modern Java applets, a Sun spokesman said. He said Sun hopes to have the virtual machine ready when Microsoft ships XP in October.

Others say Java or Javalike software isn't needed on the desktop, because many of the tasks performed in client-side Java apps can be done on the server instead. For example, Cardiff Software Inc. in June launched an online forms product that puts Java technology on servers. Cardiff's LiquidOffice will run on Windows 2000 Server, said Robert Weideman, vice president of marketing. LiquidOffice relies on HTML and HTTP "post" mechanisms in a browser to send information to a server, eliminating the need for Java in the browser when users fill out forms.