In a challenge to Microsoft, three technology companies - Sun Microsystems, IBM and Netscape - have announced a new collaboration to develop the Java computer programming system.
Dispelling rumours that Sun Microsystems Inc and Netscape Communications Corp would merge, the two companies did take a closer step. At the first Java Internet Business Expo (JIBE) in New York yesterday - attended by 15,000 people - the three companies announced the link-up.
Mr Scott McNealy, chairman and chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems, said the three would jointly set up a Java Porting and Tuning Centre, to be based in Cupertino, California, to work on quickly deploying the next generation of Java products.
Java is Sun's popular programming language, which can be written once to run on any computer anywhere and is likely to become an international standard for cross-platform connectivity.
The development represents an important business collaboration between the three companies, which are co-operating to challenge the Microsoft Windows products, currently market leaders in the system software market.
The new centre, to be based at Javasofts headquarters, will be managed by Sun and staffed by engineers from Sun, IBM and Netscape as they share their ideas and intellectual property. Its first activity will be to tune the Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.1 with HTML (Hyper Text Mark-up Language) for higher performance. The first tools will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 1997 for all operating systems and Internet browsers.
IBM is also extending the use of its world-wide solutions centres to Sun and Netscape. IBM's eight solution centres in Europe, North America, South America and Asia will provide 100 per cent Pure Java testing support for IBM and non-IBM partners. The three companies are also talking to Intel, Microsoft, Oracle and Symantec to join their effort. However, if any of these come on board, they will have to publicly support a 100 per cent Pure Java platform and this could be a problem for Microsoft.
In a separate announcement by Mr Jim Barksdale, Netscape's president and chief executive officer, he said Netscape would deploy a 100 per cent Pure Java version of Netscape Navigator in early 1998. Mr Barksdale jokingly referred to it as the Javagator and said it reinforced Netscape's recently-announced Netscape Everywhere initiative to bring the Netscape browser technology to many more users.
Three international telecommunications companies - Alcatel, Nortel and Samsung - endorsed PersonalJava also at JIBE. They released details of the first generation of web-based screen phones which would incorporate Java and accept smart cards. The first of these products will be out early next year and will allow users to browse the web, send email and video-telephone conference from a full feature telephone.
Mr Patrick Liot, vice-president of communications terminals at Alcatel, expects the web-based screen phone market to be worth $20 billion (£13.5 billion), with units selling for $500 or less.
