PC suppliers are considering licensing Java to get it to
customers, according to Sun Microsystems.
Sun has been embroiled in a legal dispute with Microsoft over
Java, urging support of the popular programming language on
Windows. But PC suppliers want access to the technology, said
Jonathan Schwartz, Sun executive vice-president of software.
"All PC OEMs are looking at licensing Java," Schwartz said. "We
hope to have progress soon, mainly so they can assure their
customers the continuity that they experience on the web."
Sun has a compatible runtime for Java on the desktop and is
being deployed on devices, although games may be more prevalent
than something such as a Siebel CRM application, said Schwartz.
Pricing for Sun's upcoming Project Orion products, which bundle
either the Solaris or Linux OS with a multitude of Sun applications
such as an application server, would be much less than what
customers might pay for an application server infrastructure from a
major company, Schwartz claimed.
Sun will ship its Mad Hatter low-cost desktop environment by the
middle of the year, said Schwartz.