Sun Microsystems Inc was not commenting yesterday on reports that it would be separating off a group from its Java Software Group to handle standards and reference implementations. The company did, however, hint it would be commenting on the reports over the next few days. A Java Platform Group would take responsibility for reference implementations of the Java Development Kit as well as the Enterprise JDK, PersonalJava and Embedded Java, as well as Java language standards, according to a report in Infoworld, quoting Sun’s director of product marketing at the Java Software Division, Jonathan Schwartz. Jon Kannegaard, vice president of software at the division was tipped to head the new unit. Such a move would help Sun fend off some of the mounting criticism that Java cannot be presented as an industry standard if Sun itself retains its ownership. IBM Corp has even been pushing to put Java into the hands of a third party so that other companies and organizations to contribute to it (CI No 3,377). Sun has submitted much of the Java language to the ISO International Standards Organization, but has appeared adamant that it should retain control of Java’s fundamental specifications. Sun chief executive officer Scott McNealy has maintained that there has to be a steward for Java.
