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Microsoft: Sun shut us out
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December 10, 1998: 2:22 p.m. ET
Legal team says company was locked out of Java-development process
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Microsoft Corp.'s legal team Thursday continued to attack claims that it intentionally sought to squelch a threat posed by Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java programming language, claiming the company shut Microsoft out of the Java-development process.
James Gosling, Sun (SUNW ) vice president and Java creator, testified Microsoft (MSFT ) made unauthorized changes to the programming language that undermined its ability to run software applications on a variety of operating systems. He claimed Microsoft then used its marketing muscle to flood the market with its Windows-dependent version of Java.
Java allows software developers to write applications that operate on various operating systems. The government hopes Gosling's testimony will illustrate a wide pattern of anti-competitive behavior by Microsoft.
During cross examination, Microsoft lawyer Tom Burt contended Sun froze Microsoft out of the Java-development process, in which different companies share their plans to add enhancements to the programming language.
But Gosling denied that allegation, stating Microsoft decided to go its own way. He added Microsoft could have made the changes Sun demanded to make Microsoft's version compatible with Sun's without compromising Microsoft's development efforts.
Gosling also said if those changes had been made, it would have prevented software developers from writing applications solely for Microsoft's version of Java.
That statement goes to the heart of the government's claim that by making a version of Java under which applications will run only on Windows, Microsoft sought to extinguish the threat Java posed to its Windows monopoly.
Burt also reverted to an earlier defense, claiming Sun was long aware of Microsoft's plans to develop a Windows-optimized version of Java.
Gosling, however, held his ground, noting the level of distrust with which Sun regarded Microsoft.
"When Microsoft was holding out their hand, there was a knife in it, and they were expecting us to grab the blade," he said.
Last month, a federal court awarded Sun a preliminary injunction that forced Microsoft to make the Java that runs on its Windows 98 and Internet Explorer 4.0 compatible with Sun's standards.
Lead Justice Department attorney David Boies said Gosling may continue his testimony through Monday's court session. The government will call Edward Felten, a Princeton University computer sciences professor, as its next witness.
The Justice Department and 19 states allege Microsoft illegally maintained a monopoly with its Windows operating system and worked to extend that monopoly into other software markets.
Microsoft (MSFT) shares slipped 1/2 to 133-1/8 in midday trading. Sun (SUNW) shares fell 1-3/4 to 73-1/8. 
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