Microsoft Nixes Java In Windows XP, Draws Fire From ITMicrosoft Nixes Java In Windows XP, Draws Fire From IT

Microsoft's decision last week to remove Java technology from the new version of its Windows operating system drew criticism from some IT managers, including one who abandoned Sun Microsystems' Java for Microsoft technology.

"It's an inconvenience to Microsoft customers, which they can't blame on Sun," says Paul Heller, chief technology officer for Internet operations at BankOne Corp. in Columbus, Ohio. "Our sites are Microsoft-based. But to think other people aren't writing Web sites in Java is stupid."

Microsoft said last week that Windows XP, slated to ship Oct. 25, won't include a Java Virtual Machine, the client-side software needed to run Java applications in a Web browser. The move could cause problems for businesses that run Java apps internally or on their Web sites.

Microsoft's decision "is going to be a huge hindrance," says Gary Williams, director of IT at Centex Homes, a division of Centex Corp., a $6.7 billion builder in Dallas. Some 2,300 Windows 98 users at Centex Homes run an IBM terminal emulator via Internet Explorer to access a key accounting application, which requires a Java client. "We'll end up having to find a way to make sure that component is always there. It has ripple effects through everything we do."

To use Java apps, IT managers and consumers will have to install a Java Virtual Machine on PCs. "IT managers are the least of our concerns," says a Sun spokesman. But there is concern that some consumers will be reluctant to download and self-install the 5-Mbyte program, which could cause Web developers to limit their use of Java apps. Sun says the free Java Virtual Machine software is widely available for downloading, and the company is talking to PC makers about pre-installing the software on new computers.

Sun sued Microsoft in 1997, charging that it made unilateral changes to industry-standard Java specs. In a settlement, Microsoft was limited to distributing an older version of the Java Virtual Machine. Instead of supporting Java, Microsoft is now promoting its Component Object Model for writing applications for Windows and the Web.

Because Microsoft hasn't obtained a license to offer an up-to-date Java Virtual Machine, it says forcing users to download the software ensures that they'll always have the latest version. "It's a small extra step," says Tony Goodhew, a Microsoft product manager. "Our expectation is this will have no impact on developers' choice. There's no conspiracy theory here."