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Microsoft funds Java clone
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June 14, 1999: 9:10 a.m. ETT
Transvirtual brews up 'Kaffee'; Sun says it has no complaints yet
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - A company with links to Microsoft Corp. reportedly has managed to clone major parts of the Java programming language.
Transvirtual Technologies, a small Berkley, Calif., company funded by Microsoft, is introducing "Kaffee," a package that will utilize variations of Java created by Microsoft, according to the Wall Street Journal Monday.
Sun Microsystems Inc., creator of the Java language, has been locked in a running battle with Microsoft over the programming language.
Sun developed the Java language with the idea it could be utilized across any platform, making it portable and easy to use by many programmers.
However, in extended legal battles Sun has asserted that Microsoft has tried to take Java and make changes to it, which would undercut Java's cross-platform advantage.
In 1996, a federal judge agreed, ruling Microsoft violated its license with Sun when it made modifications, a ruling that shackled Microsoft's ability to develop Java.
However, companies like Transvirtual have no such restraints, and a Sun spokeswoman told the Journal that as long as Transvirtual hadn't violated any of its licensing rules, it won't lodge any legal complaints.
Indeed, Transvirtual's technology will run on either Microsoft's or Sun's other software programs and Transvirtual CEO Tim Wilkinson said it used neither company's software as it developed its technology.
Sun's battle to make serious inroads into Microsoft's dominance still looks like a hard task, according to the Journal.
While Sun had hoped Java would be the weapon it could use to weaken the Windows operating system, it instead has been used more for server technology and lags in preference among corporate software developers. 
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