Java support will benefit Windows
Java support in the Microsoft browser and .net web services framework will benefit a wide range of organisations.
Many companies consider Java to be the main application platform for the browser, and Microsoft's continuing support will provide stability for developers.
"If users have Java-based applications on Windows, who better to make them perform well than Microsoft?" said Neil Macehiter, research director at analyst firm Ovum.
"There is strong evidence that the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine was optimised for Windows. If you are deploying 5,000 desktop browsers and have to get a separate JVM from Sun, it makes it more complex and difficult to manage," he said.
Web service interoperability will be important for users who want to access Microsoft applications through Java-based servers. ".Net is broad in its scope. A good question is whether Visual Server will work with Java servers," Macehiter said.
Users will benefit greatly from the two firms agreeing to make Active Directory and Java System Identity Server work together.
"It is currently very difficult to get Active Directory and others to interoperate, but this could lower the costs of things such as identity management and password provisioning," said Macehiter.
