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Sun's Java olive branch
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November 18, 1998: 2:05 p.m. ET
Unit president Baratz urges Microsoft to return to the high-tech community
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - After winning a key court ruling against Microsoft Corp., the president of Sun Microsystems' Java unit offered the software giant a chance on Wednesday to rejoin the baseline programming standards of the computing industry.
Alan Baratz explained Microsoft's troubled relationship with the Java programming language, and what the injunction means for Sun, on CNNfn's "In the Game." A partial transcript of his comments follows.
FRED KATAYAMA, CNNfn CORRESPONDENT: Quickly, what was your boss Scott McNealy's (Sun CEO) reaction to the news?
ALAN BARATZ, PRESIDENT, SUN MICROSYSTEMS: Well, Scott and all of us were obviously thrilled that the court has ruled to grant our request for injunction. The Java technology represents enormous value to consumers and to developers. With this technology, you can now not be dictated by the computer with respect to what applications you can utilize, but a consumer can decide what applications they want to run and what computer they want to run them on. It's the Java technology that makes that cross-platform capability possible.
KATAYAMA: Alan, you mentioned consumers. What about programmers? You call your programming language "pure" Java. Does this ruling make it more likely in your view that the Java will become the programmer's choice?
BARATZ: Well, with the Java technology, application software developers can now write their applications without worrying about which computer they're going to deploy them on. The applications will run on all computers out there in the marketplace.
This is of enormous value to developers and to software vendors as it lowers their development costs and improves their productivity. And so, yes, I think this ruling is a great value to the developer community and to the software industry in general.
KATAYAMA: Now, how does this ruling show, in your view, how Microsoft (MSFT) tried to subvert Java?
BARATZ: Well, what Microsoft attempted to do is to flood the market with -- in their words - a "polluted" version of the Java technology, in effect, trying to tie the Java technology to their Windows operating system.
But this is the old model. In the new model, the industry is working together with Sun Microsystems (SUNW) to deliver a new cross-platform technology and frankly, this ruling makes it possible for Microsoft to rejoin that community. We would be delighted to do whatever we can to help Microsoft with the engineering necessary to deliver a compatible implementation of the Java platform - and rejoin that community.
KATAYAMA: Alan, it sounds like you're throwing out an olive branch but Microsoft Vice President Paul Maritz was quoted yesterday as saying, "The option of not supporting Java is open to (Microsoft)." Those were his words. Your reaction?
BARATZ: Well, Microsoft could certainly choose to not support the Java technology. However, I think we should remember that they chose to license the technology from Sun Microsystems in the first place because their developers and their customers were telling them that the technology was important and they wanted it in Microsoft's products.
Over the last two to three years, the value of the technology has only grown. And so, I think it's unlikely that Microsoft would remove the technology from their products.
KATAYAMA: Alan, let's talk about the impact on Microsoft itself. How easy or difficult is it for Microsoft to change its Java products so that they would comply with your tests?
BARATZ: Well, I can only respond with respect to our engineers' view. Our engineers believe that it's very simple to change Microsoft's products so that they come back into compliance with our compatibility requirements, so they pass our compatibility tests.
And as I said, we have offered Microsoft an opportunity to work with our engineers to do those modifications.
KATAYAMA: And can you give me an example? What would they have to modify in order to make their products 100 percent Java compatible?
BARATZ: Well, there are a couple of capabilities of the Java platform that Microsoft does not support within their implementation, and they'd simply have to add these capabilities. It's a fairly straightforward matter to do so.
KATAYAMA: Now, do you think the judge's ruling yesterday will threaten Microsoft Windows' dominance over operating systems market?
BARATZ: Well, I think we need to keep in mind that part of the value in the Windows operating system is the fact that there's such a broad base of applications that run on it. The Java technology makes it possible for the broad base of applications to run on all operating systems and all microprocessors.
And so, as a result, Java relevels the playing field for the entire software industry. I think that's good news for the industry. That's certainly good news for consumers who will now be able to choose whatever application they want to run on whatever operating system they want to run it on.
Is that threatening for Microsoft? It may be, but it's good for the industry and it's good for consumers.
KATAYAMA: Alan, what have Sun's lawyers been telling you about how the judge's ruling yesterday? How that would relate to the current antitrust case going on in Washington?
BARATZ: Well, I think that's something that you really need to talk to the DOJ (Department of Justice) about. I certainly wouldn't want to speculate on the relationship there. 
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