Sun Microsystems has won the preliminary injunction against Microsoft Corp that it was seeking in the San Jose courts over the compatibility of its Java products for Windows. Late Tuesday, US District Judge Ronald Whyte issued a 31-page ruling that found Sun likely to prevail on the merits of its lawsuit. The ruling orders Microsoft to change all new products shipped so that they pass Sun compatibility tests within 90 days. It affects both Windows 98 and Internet Explorer, although Microsoft has no obligation to change products already shipped, and has only to add additional interfaces to its products in order to comply. Sun’s vice president and general counsel Mike Morris said he was extremely pleased that the court has granted our request for injunction, while Alan Baratz, president of Java Software at Sun, said the ruling was an opportunity for Microsoft to rejoin the Java community. We are willing to help Microsoft do the development work. I truly hope they will take us up on this offer. Microsoft vice president Paul Maritz said he was disappointed, but we respect the ruling and are considering our options. Microsoft counsel Tom Burke dismissed the ruling as based on the complex language of our agreement and said Microsoft still expects to prevail once the issue reaches trial at a date not yet set by the courts. The ruling covers two technical issues. First, the judge ordered Microsoft to implement Sun’s Java Native Method Interface within its Java Virtual Machine, rather than use its own alternative interface. Second, Microsoft must add dialog boxes to its tools which warn developers when they attempt to use Microsoft’s additional Windows-specific keywords and compiler directives that in Sun’s words, will lock them into the Windows platform. The judge also ruled that Microsoft tools must not use the extra keywords and directives as their default mode, but that the extensions must be explicitly turned on. Microsoft options now include dropping support for Java altogether – an unlikely course of action, given the demand for Java from developers – or altering its products to comply with the order. It says it doesn’t see a problem with carrying that work out in time, and adds that the judge has left the door open for a time extension if it can show good cause. Meanwhile, Sun is withholding new Java technology from Microsoft, and plans to launch version 1.2 of the Java Virtual Machine early next month, presumably adding further to Microsoft’s compatibility problems. Sun also promises to announce extensive new distribution channel agreements to get its Java implementation in front of Windows developers, just in case Microsoft does pull out. A third option is for Microsoft to come up with a clean room implementation, as Hewlett-Packard Co and others have done. Microsoft’s Maritz agreed that this was an option, but wouldn’t comment further. Sun’s Baratz said Microsoft’s rights regarding clean room implementations were still open to dispute. It depends what they mean and what kind of technology, he said, there’s no clear and easy answer. Microsoft still has its counter claims to be heard by the court over the next few months. รก
