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Java standard closer
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November 17, 1997: 5:38 p.m. ET
ISO's vote enables company to submit final application
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Sun Microsystems Inc. Monday moved one step closer to having its Java technology certified as a worldwide standard.
A technical committee of the International Organization for Standardization Monday approved Sun's application to become a publicly available specifications submitter.
That approval clears the way for Sun to submit its Java platform specifications to the ISO for worldwide certification as a standard. It will also likely set the stage for a battle between Sun and some of its rivals, including Microsoft Corp., who had opposed the
move.
In the final ballot, 20 countries voted yes, two no and two countries abstained. The United States and China both voted no. Many feel the United States voted no because of fierce Microsoft opposition.
To be certified as a publicly available specification, submitters must develop and maintain their specifications in cooperation with other interested parties. The specifications must also be made available to the public and other companies or individuals must be free to produce their own implementations of the technology.
Sun has been touting Java as a new way to write software for network-based computing, a move that could weaken Microsoft's control over software standards. Sun recently sued Microsoft for allegedly violating terms of its agreement to license Java, a claim which Microsoft denies.
Java allows a computer program to run on a variety of operating systems rather than having separate versions for Apple Macintosh or Microsoft Windows systems.
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