By William Fellows
Sun Microsystems Inc’s decision to withdraw from its plan to standardize Java through ISO’s PAS process opens up a myriad of possibilities for standardizing the language – or other virtual machine environments. The company is due to describe its plans tomorrow, Thursday.
Whatever the eventual outcome, internet and standards strategist, long-time IEEE evangelist and former DECie Jim Isaak says that for Java it means years lost at getting a standard put in place. Sun could be there now by any due process route they were willing to follow but maybe that says it all. Isaak observes that unfortunately (for Java) Sun positioned Java standard right in the middle of Microsoft’s cross-hairs, and Microsoft’s response was easy to generate.
Although Sun is looking at taking Java through ECMA, the European Computer Manufacturers Association, Isaak and others have already suggested Java standardization through ISO could happen in spite of Sun, albeit without the Java name. There’s also the continuing effort at NCITS supported by Hewlett-Packard Co and Microsoft to create a Java specification for real-time systems which is independent of Sun that could, if taken up, go forward for standardization.
At the same time, Isaak believes that HP and IBM Corp could have brought more pressure to bear on Sun to see the ISO submission through. Another opportunity would have been for Lucent Technologies to take its Java-compatible Inferno environment forward for standardization. However Lucent is looking for a buyer for Inferno, not for a standards sponsor. Isaak’s also keen on the notion of standardizing on a virtual machine environment that could support multiple programming languages, including but not necessarily limited to Java, but recognizes the notion of standardizing on such an environment is well over the horizon.
Isaak believes that Sun’s determination to maintain ownership and control of the development and maintenance of Java is misplaced given its real opportunity is in the server market. In the long run Isaak believes one of two things is likely to happen. Either Sun or another organization will take Java to ISO, or the US government could step in, take control of the IP and mandate that it becomes a public standard for the public good, as it has the ability to do.
