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Microsoft wakes up to Java
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March 11, 1998: 7:22 p.m. ET
Rivals to combine efforts to create a single Java platform for the Mac
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Microsoft Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. on Wednesday said they will combine their Java technologies to create a single Java platform for the Mac.
It was the latest move by Microsoft to wrestle away control of the Java programming language from its creator, Sun Microsystems Inc. Microsoft also announced Wednesday that it was developing its own Java development tools for Windows-based applications.
The unified Java virtual machine will be based on Apple's Mac OS Runtime for Java and will incorporate a variety of Microsoft technologies for Java. Currently, both companies offer Java virtual machines for the Mac OS.
Java is a programming language and virtual machine interface that allow software to operate on a variety of platforms.
The goal behind the rival companies' cooperation is to provide consistency for Java implementations across Macintosh- and Windows-based computers.
A unified Java virtual machine will also allow software developers to create applications that combine the Java language with the Mac OS, the companies said in a statement.
As part of the agreement, Microsoft will license parts of its J/Direct API technology to Apple, which Apple expects to incorporate into a future version of MRJ later this year. Once MRJ fully supports these technologies, Microsoft Internet Explorer for the Macintosh will rely exclusively on MRJ as its Java virtual machine.
The agreement also signifies that Microsoft is serious in its commitment to developing tools for the Mac. Last August, the company invested $150 million in Apple. It also released a new version of Microsoft Office for the Mac in January.
At its developer conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Microsoft revealed its new trial version of Visual J++ 6.0, a suite of development software. Visual J++ 6.0 provides tools and information needed by software developers to build Java applications for Windows-based software.
Jon Kannegaard, a vice president in Sun's JavaSoft division, declined to comment on whether Microsoft's latest Java products might constitute a fresh violation of the agreement, saying he had not yet looked at the software.
But he raised questions about Microsoft's approach.
"There's something wrong with their logic," he said. "I just see no demand for writing Java applications that only run on Windows. ... I think they're genuinely threatened at the prospect of applications which are not limited to their operating system."
Last fall Sun sued Microsoft, claiming that the software company took undue liberties with its Java language and threatened to revoke Microsoft's license to use the language. Microsoft countersued, saying Sun was trying to impede Microsoft's attempts to use Java.
A Sun spokeswoman declined to comment on whether Microsoft's latest Java products might constitute a fresh violation of the agreement.
"They've done a number of things over the years to try and destroy some of the value proposition around Java," the spokeswoman said. "It's just more of the same from them."
Microsoft's announcements had no ill effects on shares of Sun Microsystems, which rose 13/16 to 43-1/4 in late-day trading. 
-- from staff and wire reports
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