Sun, Oracle, Novell, IBM and the Sun-Netscape alliance have created a testing and certification program for Java language programmers which they refer to as Jedi. They claim it is a shortage of skilled Java engineers which has driven them to develop the program which in practice means that each participating company will accept each others’ certification tests.
The estimated 500,000 programmers already writing in Java will be covered by the tests, which offer certification at three levels, programmer, solution developer and enterprise developer. One caveat is that participating vendors, according to Sun, should support its Java development strategy. Hewlett-Packard Co sent some messages of support but isn’t an initial member of the program. Microsoft, for which Java is surely its Phantom Menace, isn’t on board.
