[ruxp] Microsoft open letter regarding Windows XP and Java support

From: "Karl Dallas" <karldallas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <jtud@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, <jtud@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <ruxp@xxxxxxxxxxxx>,<ruxp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <RUXP@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 10:49:58 +0100
Microsoft has composed the following open letter regarding Windows XP
and Java support :

?Sun Microsystems has invested a great deal of their marketing dollars
and lobbying efforts in attacking our yet-to-be released Windows XP
operating system, claiming that Microsoft has hurt Sun, the Java
language and PC industry customers at large by not including the
Microsoft virtual machine in Windows XP. 

?We feel it is important to outline for our customers the facts on this
matter.

?Sun Microsystems has taken every step possible to prevent Microsoft
from shipping our award winning Java virtual machine. In fact, Sun
resorted to litigation to stop Microsoft from shipping a high
performance Java virtual machine that took optimal advantage of Windows.
The settlement agreement provides for a termination of Microsoft's
existing license with Sun and phase-out of the Microsoft VM, so Sun's
professed surprise is mere spin. It should be noted that, since the
settlement, a Federal Appeals Court has upheld Microsoft's development
of a high-performance, well-integrated virtual machine for Windows as
pro-competitive.

?When Microsoft and Sun settled their litigation earlier this year, Sun
was quick to pronounce the settlement a great victory. Sun's CEO said,
"It's pretty simple: This is a victory for our licensees and consumers.
The community wants one Java technology: one brand, one process and one
great platform. We've accomplished that, and this agreement further
protects the authenticity and value of Sun's Java technology."1 Sun got
what they said they wanted: the termination of the existing Java license
with Microsoft, and an agreement that Microsoft would phase out its Java
virtual machine.

?Sun now professes surprise and unhappiness, and is complaining
publicly. But as industry analysts such as Bob Sutherland of Technology
Business Research point out: "Sun can't have it both ways. They don't
want Microsoft to have monopolistic control, but at the same time they
want them to control their Java. No matter what Microsoft does, Sun is
going to try to demonize them."2

?Perhaps most disturbing, Sun is being disingenuous about the impact on
customers. Microsoft has taken several steps to make its Java
implementation available to Windows XP customers while adhering to the
settlement agreement and protecting Windows customers from any future
litigation by Sun. While the Microsoft virtual machine is not on the
Windows XP CD, it is still an integrated part of the product. Customers
who upgrade to Windows XP from recent prior versions of Windows can
easily and automatically take advantage of their existing Java virtual
machine. Customers with new machines or who perform a clean installation
of Windows XP will automatically be offered the choice to perform a
one-time download of the virtual machine the first time they browse a
Web page containing a Java applet. This download is then available for
any subsequent applet a customer may encounter. Finally, Microsoft has
made its virtual machine available to any PC manufacturer to ship with
new Windows XP systems, to save customers even this one-time download.

?At Microsoft we are proud of the Java virtual machine we created, and
the value our customers see in it. It has a long history of high quality
and superior performance. It is also the only Java virtual machine that
offers an integrated applet browsing experience with Internet Explorer.
And it offered customers a choice - just as Windows XP will enable
customers to choose and run other third-party virtual machines.

?Sun works hard to create an image of itself as a leader in openness and
choice with Java. The notion that Java is "open" is simply incorrect -
Sun's actions ensure this, as again clearly demonstrated when it
submitted Java to an industry standards body and then reneged on the
submission, not just once but twice. Contrast these actions with
Microsoft, where we have submitted the underlying specifications for
Microsoft .NET to ECMA and are following through on our commitment.

?Sun's idea of choice is that you can have any language you want, as
long as it is Sun's version of Java under Sun's control. By contrast,
Microsoft .NET supports over 20 languages from Microsoft and third
parties, and Java will also be supported as a full-fledged language for
the .NET platform. We believe that is a better definition of choice.?

The letter can be read at
http://www.microsoft.com/java/issues/openletter.htm. Go to
http://www.microsoft.com/java/download.htm for a complete list of
Microsoft Java downloads.
[ruxp] Microsoft open letter regarding Windows XP and Java support

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