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Three Judges to Review Java Ruling on Thursday

Posted by timothy on from the you-must-vs-you-ought dept.

Richard Finney writes " Reuter's Peter Kaplan is reporting that a three-judge panel in Richmond, Va. will hear arguments from Microsoft and Sun over whether it should uphold a Java 'must-carry' order imposed by a lower court judge in December. Here's a quick review of the issue: Microsoft signed an agreement with Sun on implementing Java. Microsoft implemented a non-compliant version ('embrace, extend, destroy' to their critics). Sun called them on it and as 'pushishment,' the courts said Microsoft had to carry the official Sun product for a while. Microsoft's lawyers seem to be on a winning streak lately and their spokesman Jim Dresler says the order is 'unprecedented, unnecessary and doesn't serve the public interest.' Some say this the deciding battle between Java and .NET. Too bad it's not being settled on the technical merits of both products."

4 of 29 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Cross platform by kzeddy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    > However to be fair to them Sun had basically >said Java2 is so broken that some bugs will >never be fixed
    What is broken about Java2?

  2. uhm by Iamthefallen · · Score: 3, Interesting
    "Too bad it's not being settled on the technical merits of both products."

    When was the last time anything was settled on technical merits and thereby gained widespread adoption? Zealots from both sides usually state their case and fanatically defend their position while the rest of us pick what we feel more comfortable with. Unbiased technical merit rarely gets attention, and even more rare is that it is the deciding factor when faced with a choice.

    --
    Wax-Museum Fire Results In Hundreds Of New Danny DeVito Statues
  3. Define "Technical" by 4of12 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Too bad it's not being settled on the technical merits of both products."

    Certainly there's money involved in the decision or else it wouldn't be in the courts.

    But even a "technical" evaluation for complex software products involves many aspects which are subjective and depend on the users.

    Exhibit A: Is Perl or Python better? The answer depends on the application and the reviewer. Likewise "Tastes great. Less filling."

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    "Provided by the management for your protection."
  4. A funny detail by quintessent · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Microsoft and Sun originally settled for $25 million, the maximum allowed under the contract. As part of the agreement, Microsoft agreed to stop shipping its Java VM in within a few years.

    XP was shipped, and Microsoft decided to fulfill its promise much earlier.

    Sun got mad.

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