The big boys want Sun to play nice with Java.
Intel, Microsoft, Digital, and Compaq wrote an open letter to Jim Mitchell, vice president of Sun Microsystems, asking the company to fully relinquish control of the Java language to the International Standards Organization. The companies believe that Java is emerging as one of the Internet's building blocks and thus should not be controlled by a single vendor.
"The letter was wrong in a lot of ways, and we think we're making changes that will be acceptable to the body," said Mitchell. "I believe that Microsoft and Intel saw which way the wind was blowing, and did this," he added, explaining that Sun has recently gotten positive feedback from ISO member countries that will vote on the second draft of the proposal next week.
Sun's JavaSoft division initiated efforts to standardize Java with the ISO, but in July, the Joint Technical Committee denied Sun's original proposal. Sun has been unwilling to give up the Java trademark, and more importantly, the right to update, maintain and/or change the specifications should it be standardized. Sun has until next week to submit a second - and final - proposal to the ISO that addresses the issues raised by the committee.
Mitchell said Sun would allow other companies to use the Java name as long as they don't represent it as the same Java that Sun produces. "They can't say, 'This is the Java platform.' Most countries are happy with that," he said. He also noted that the Joint Technical Committee has a process for the maintenance of standards, and that Sun plans to "work within those policies."
The prevailing opinion is that without a universal standard for Java, the language will splinter off in too many directions, and the "write once, run anywhere" goal will be moot.
"We're some of the biggest fans of proprietary technologies, but Sun needs to decide what path they're on," said Charles Fitzgerald, a group product manager at Microsoft. "If they're going to be open, do it for real. If it's an open standard, anyone can use the name, and Sun can't control the evolution or decide who's in compliance and who's not."
The ISO, as well as the International Engineering Task Force, are standards bodies that insist on no-strings-attached standards, and have run into difficulties lately with companies that want to standardize technologies, yet retain rights to trademarks, updates, and the like.
"Your response will reveal whether Sun is really committed to the successful transposition of Java to ISO or is just seeking the marketing benefits of ISO recognition without actually transferring control of the technology," the letter stated.
