Unveiling a plethora of Java-based gadgets, Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy today announced a new initiative toward "small footprint" devices that should help drive Java into the consumer appliance market as well as prove that the popular language-cum-software platform is more than steam and mirrors.
With a growing number of businesses already using the language, McNealy attempted to refashion the image of Java as a computer-based tool. "You shouldn't buy a computer, but an appliance that scales into a network," McNealy said at New York City's Java Internet Business Expo.
In testament, Sun licensed its PersonalJava specification for a raft of new Net screen phones to be developed by Alcatel, Northern Telecom, and Samsung. The screen phones will be offered in the first quarter of 1998 for about US$500, said Patrick Liot of Alcatel.
The bulky, broad telephones were only some of the gizmos that spilled from McNealy's chest. McNealy also showcased a Java lock, Swatch, set-top box for browsing on TV, and an unlikely electronic recipe book (which even McNealy admitted "might not make it").
In what has become almost cliche, McNealy's keynote featured heavy doses of Gates-bashing. He reeled off a Top 10 list of MSNBC's fall season shows, including: "The Captive X Files" ("about scary stuff that isn't real"), "Late Night with Microsoft Support," and "60 Minutes: The Windows Reboot Story." In another formulation, he said that "Pure Java with three drops of poison" becomes "Windows."
McNealy also reaffirmed his focus on making Java a mass-market language. "The message with Java is that this is something that began with what the gurus were dealing with," said McNealy. Now, "Java is a tool to get the job done." He noted that the largest elective course at Stanford - an introduction to programming class - will begin teaching Java next fall.
Two partnerships announced today signal that Sun wants to synchronize its efforts to extend Java's reach. IBM, Sun, and Netscape will create an organization of engineers to begin "tuning" the releases of Java for every platform, said McNealy. In addition, Netscape and Sun have joined forces to co-develop a 100 percent pure Java browser to standardize the rendering of HTML. "You won't have 'This Page Looks Best Using...'," said McNealy, "but 'This Page Looks Best on Your Screen.' The new browser will leverage Sun's existing HotJava software - a simple, all-Java browser developed by JavaSoft.
