Microsoft, Sun sit side by side to discuss Java adoption issues

At the Mecklermedia Internet World event in Chicago, July 24, 1997 came and went much like the previous days of the conference. In fact, most attendees didn’t even notice a quite extraordinary event: Key executives from Microsoft and JavaSoft shared the stage for a panel discussion. The presentation, a 90-minute roundtable titled “Java — Middle Manager to CIO” and sponsored by NC.Focus, featured a number of industry luminaries: Charles Fitzgerald, product manager/Internet Tools, Microsoft; Jim Green, chairman, Active Software; J. P. Morgenthal, Java Computing analyst, NC.Focus; and David Spenhoff, VP product marketing, JavaSoft.

The panel was designed to assist management with Java technology adoption issues. Each panelist came to the table with a unique message designed specifically for this process: JavaSoft provided the roadmap for the Java platform, Active Software provided information on Java-based middleware, and Microsoft provided the Windows/Java viewpoint. From the get-go Microsoft’s intention was clear: to disarm the Java hype with its presentation, “Java — Hype or Reality?.” The message was straightforward: “Write once, run anywhere” is a pipe dream, so build distributed applications for the Web using scripting and HTML.

As moderator and panel chair, Morgenthal led the discussion by presenting the business rationale behind Java. NC.Focus believes Java is important to the industry, even if the language doesn’t become the leading application platform. Morgenthal’s presentation provided a unique angle, placing Java in an economic framework. He explained that in our current (prosperous) economy, Java provides users with a way to bring value to customers, and cost seems to be of little concern. Morgenthal contended that eventually, when the economic upturn subsides, Java will facilitate reduced computing costs.

Next David Spenhoff presented the much-needed complete roadmap to Java, but failed to deliver the message with any enthusiasm. The information Spenhoff provided was not new, but at least it illustrated a cohesive direction for this rapidly expanding platform.

Jim Green’s ensuing message was akin to Rodney King’s: “Can’t we all just get along?” As an active participant in the development of CORBA (which Green was quick to apologize for) while at Sun, and leader of the highly touted Distributed Object Everywhere (DOE) team, Green has a genuine understanding of what Java can and cannot do. Green’s company, Active Software, leverages its experience in “push” technology to develop middleware that makes extensive use of Java. Based on its success, Active Software has made Java work for a few organizations.

Fitzgerald followed Green and proclaimed that “write-once, run anywhere” means bit-for-bit and bug-for-bug consistency. In keeping with the Microsoft theme to dismantle the Java hype, Fitzgerald sang “the praises” of Java with his chorus of “write once, debug everywhere.”

Of the approximately 110 attendees (whose positions ranged from project manager to CIO), most indicated they were struggling with the Java adoption issue. Interestingly, the audience agreed mostly with Jim Green, who provided a voice of reason. “Write once, run anywhere can work, but it’s going to take a large vendor with a lot of dollars,” Green said. (This is the role IBM appears to be playing in the Java community.) A show of hands clearly indicated that the audience also supported a “write once, run anywhere” solution.

By the end of the session, feedback from the audience strongly suggested that Microsoft’s lack of compliance with JavaSoft’s standards will result in a backlash against Internet Explorer and the Active Desktop.

During the lively question-and-answer period that followed the panel presentations, one audience participant made an emotional plea to his associates to force the vendors to deliver “write once, run anywhere” as promised. Another raised concerns about Microsoft’s decision to exclude certain JDK components from the next release of Internet Explorer, which in turn led to a discussion about the “bloating” of the JDK. Sun believes all pieces of the JDK are necessary; Microsoft feels that these pieces belong as an extension to the core library. Although audience members appeared to view Java as a tool that can provide solutions today, their questions and comments indicated performance and consistency of implementations are problems that must be addressed.