Microsoft will continue to provide support for its Java
virtual machine software until the end of September 2004, 10 months
longer than originally planned, under a licensing agreement with
Sun Microsystems.
Microsoft's Java license had been due to expire in January in
accordance with a legal settlement reached two years ago over its
alleged misuse of Sun's technology.
The companies have agreed to the new Java "maintenance" licence
for Microsoft, allows the company to issue important updates such
as security patches for its Java virtual machine (JVM).
Both agreed to the latest terms to give customers more time to
migrate away from Microsoft's JVM before it stops supporting the
product.
JVMs allow Java programs to run on any computer regardless of
the operating system or hardware and are available from several
vendors including Sun. Microsoft has set up a website at
http://www.microsoft.com/java
where it is offering advice for customers about their options,
which include moving to a different JVM or to Microsoft's .net
platform.
Customers have told both companies that they needed more time to
make the transition, including enterprises, developers and
independent software suppliers, said Matt Pilla, a Microsoft senior
product manager for Windows.
Microsoft obtained its Java licence from Sun in 1996 and the
companies were at loggerheads soon after. Sun filed a breach of
contract lawsuit against Microsoft the following year, accusing it
of distributing an incompatible version of Java.
In 1998 it added unfair competition and copyright infringement
to its suit.
Sun argued that Java's ability to run on any operating system
made it a significant threat to Windows, and that Microsoft tried
to "derail" Java by creating its own version, which tied developers
to Windows.
Microsoft acknowledged adding extensions to its Java products
that took advantage of Windows-specific features, but denied any
wrongdoing.
The companies settled the case in 2001, with Microsoft agreeing
to pay Sun $20m and to stop using the Java logo on its products. It
was permitted to keep using the version of Java it was distributing
at the time for a further seven years, but its licence to use Sun's
source code and compatibility test suites to support its JVM were
due to expire in January.
Sun continues to pursue a separate, private antitrust case
against Microsoft over its alleged misuse of Java, which was filed
after its initial lawsuit was settled.
John Rymer, an analyst with Forrester Research, said the
companies had to come up with a plan to help customers make the
move from Microsoft's JVM. "All this does is provide those
customers with an additional 10 months for the transition process,"
he said.
The companies did not disclose financial terms. The licence does
not allow Microsoft to upgrade its JVM with a more recent version
of Java, only to provide maintenance fixes for its JVM, said Sun
group manager for Java distribution programs Jean Elliott.
Microsoft and Sun have both been advising companies to make the
move, with Microsoft urging customers to switch to its .Net
platform and C# programming language and Sun urging customers onto
newer versions of Java.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has been phasing its JVM out of its
products, including Windows and Internet Explorer. At the same
time, Sun has been signing deals with PC makers and other suppliers
to distribute JVMs to ensure that Java applications can continue to
run.
James Niccolai writes for IDG News
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