Posted on 06/18/2002 3:05:16 PM PDT by greydog
WASHINGTON (AP) - Just before closing arguments in its antitrust case, Microsoft delivered a broadside to one of its bitter software rivals, declaring Tuesday it will stop supporting Sun Microsystems' flagship product by 2004.
Microsoft cited Sun's opposition in the case as the reason for the decision to remove support for Sun's Java programming language from future versions of Microsoft's Windows operating system.
"The decision to remove Microsoft's Java implementation was made because of Sun's strategy of using the legal system to compete with Microsoft," Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan said in a statement.
A Sun spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Microsoft was found by a federal appeals court to have used illegal means to stamp out competition. The Justice Department reached a settlement with Microsoft last year, but nine states are still seeking stronger antitrust penalties.
Several witnesses appearing in the states' case against Microsoft, including executives of computer maker Gateway, accused the software giant of retaliating against companies that refused Microsoft edicts or helped the government build its antitrust case.
In an interview, Microsoft General Counsel William Neukom declined to comment on the Java announcement or allegations of retaliation.
Current versions of Windows XP do not include Java, though users can download it if they need to run programs written in the language. But Microsoft did say it would temporarily restore support for Java in the upcoming update to Windows XP, expected this fall.
That decision may further anger Sun because Windows XP will include Microsoft's own version of Java rather than having users download the version made by Sun.
Cullinan said the company will temporarily support Java "to minimize any potential disruption among our customers."
The battle over Microsoft's implementation of Java - promoted for its ability to run programs regardless of what operating system it is installed on - was a central part of the federal antitrust case as well as two civil suits brought by Sun against Microsoft. Microsoft was criticized for putting its own flavor of Java in Windows that was incompatible with Sun's version.
A federal court found that Microsoft created programming tools that fooled Java programmers into thinking they were writing software that would work on any version of Java, rather than just Microsoft's version. Microsoft still disputes that anyone was tricked into writing incompatible software.
Sun has taken an active role in the antitrust case. It gave information to lawyers for the nine states suing the company and Sun executives testified during two months of penalty hearings.
Microsoft cited terms of a settlement with Sun in its decision to drop Java.
"The settlement agreement between the companies prevents Microsoft from making any changes - including any security fixes - to our Java implementation after January 1, 2004," Cullinan said. "We will not put our customers or Windows at risk so you can anticipate that there will be no Java in Windows from that point forward."
Lawyers for Microsoft and nine states suing the company are scheduled to present their closing arguments Wednesday. Microsoft's announcement Tuesday took the states by surprise, said California Assistant Attorney General Tom Greene.
"We're certainly surprised at this event on the eve of the closing arguments in a major antitrust case," Greene said. "We'll look forward to hearing more about this tomorrow."
One of the antitrust penalties proposed by the states would force Microsoft to carry support for Java.
As punishment for hurting competition through illegal means, the states also want Microsoft to create a modular version of the Windows operating system, in which particular components could be removed and replaced by computer manufacturers.
Microsoft's Neukom said the company's arguments will focus on the "fragmentation and destabilization" of Windows that the company says would result from the state penalties, and that at most the non-settling states should get no more than the terms of the federal deal.
"We believe the evidence to support that position is in this record," Neukom said.
States that rejected the government's settlement with Microsoft last fall and are pressing for tougher penalties are Iowa, Utah, Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, Kansas, Florida, Minnesota and West Virginia, along with the District of Columbia.
I'll bet that won't last too long!
Why don't the Feds just force Sun to create an operating system?
Here goes. Gates is a power mad jerk...and so is McNeely. For that matter (although not relevant here), so is Larry Ellison of Oracle.
I was a big Gates fan for a long time, until well into the government case. I'm not too happy with him now, but not because of the case. I think he's lost his mind with the oppressive, intrusive licenses of the last few years. Too bad. Linux and Open Office for me.
McNeely isn't any better. In fact, Gates is right on this one. Sun screams "standards" but tries to manipulate the Java standard to its benefit--just as Microsoft tries to get de facto standards in Office and Windows--and manipulates them whenever the competition comes near.
Here goes. Gates is a power mad jerk...and so is McNeely. For that matter (although not relevant here), so is Larry Ellison of Oracle.
I was a big Gates fan for a long time, until well into the government case. I'm not too happy with him now, but not because of the case. I think he's lost his mind with the oppressive, intrusive licenses of the last few years. Too bad. Linux and Open Office for me.
McNeely isn't any better. In fact, Gates is right on this one. Sun screams "standards" but tries to manipulate the Java standard to its benefit--just as Microsoft tries to get de facto standards in Office and Windows--and manipulates them whenever the competition comes near.
This seems fair to me. Buggering up the code was a violation of their license, but they are under no obligation to use java at all if they dont want to.
Here goes. Gates is a power mad jerk...and so is McNeely. For that matter (although not relevant here), so is Larry Ellison of Oracle.
I was a big Gates fan for a long time, until well into the government case. I'm not too happy with him now, but not because of the case. I think he's lost his mind with the oppressive, intrusive licenses of the last few years. Too bad. Linux and Open Office for me.
McNeely isn't any better. In fact, Gates is right on this one. Sun screams "standards" but tries to manipulate the Java standard to its benefit--just as Microsoft tries to get de facto standards in Office and Windows--and manipulates them whenever the competition comes near.
It was Microsoft back at the beginning of Java that made it possible for it to reach the level of acceptance it has. Just as with the Mac, if it wasn't for MS Office early on and in the late 90's Apple would have folded. Just a bunch of ungrateful B*st*rds thats all.. Good for Microsoft. I almost wish Bill Gates would pull a John Gault.
Exactly my thinking. It just seems the article is making a bigger thing of this that it really is. It doesn't sound like MS is putting code in Windows that shuts the JVM down or something. They're just not going out of their way to support the flagship technology of a company that is trying to sue them into a breakup.
[Gates' Gulch? -- May Milt Friedman have the hamburger concession?]
Agreed. I don't know what he's smoking, honestly. The company is sitting on 40 billion in cash, so I can't figure out why, in the midst of his public image beating, Gates chooses to turn the licensing screws further. I think Gates has done wonders for the computer world in the last 15 or so years, but I sometimes wonder if his decisions are more driven by ego these days. If he had any sense, he'd devote resources to figuring out a way to profit from coopting Linux (and I think I have a way, even with the licensing requirements inherent in a Linux distro).
They already have an OS for the Intel processor: Solaris x86.
It didn't quite set the world on fire, and it's even free.
You must remember, when people are attacked, the strike back. When attacked continuously, they begin to strike back first! Try tormenting a tiger. When you put him in a corner, he is likely to attack (strike back first).
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