New WindowsXP to Ship With Old Java

Aug. 22, 2001 -- Windows XP, Microsoft's new operating system, will be on new PCs this fall, but Sun Microsystems' latest version of Java may not be.

Because of Microsoft's rush to get Windows XP to computer makers, Sun said it did not have enough time to get its newest version of the Java virtual machine (JVM) ready to be included in the Internet Explorer 6 Web browser, which will be shipping with XP.

To avoid delays in shipping new PCs loaded with XP, Compaq said it has opted to use Microsoft's rival version of JVM. Due to a legal spat between Microsoft and Sun, which developed Java, Microsoft's JVM is based on 4-year-old technology.

Unlike Microsoft's version of Java, Sun's Java can run on multiple platforms and on many different computer systems — such as the Macintosh and Windows platforms — without forcing programmers to write new code for each operating system. Some form of Java is needed for browsers to interpret many Web applications.

Microsoft is expected to ship the final, or gold, version of the Windows XP code to computer makers on Friday, the same day its antitrust case returns to district court in Washington, D.C. Because they compete with Sun in other parts of their business, Compaq, IBM, Dell, and other computer manufacturers have no incentive to hold off preloading new PCs with XP until Sun gets its version of Java ready, analysts said.

"It's unreasonable to assume that Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Compaq, or even Dell would bend over backward for a primary competitor like Sun," said Rob Enderle, vice president with the Giga Information Group.

The Real Losers: Consumers

In this latest battle in the war between Sun and Microsoft, consumers are likely to end up as the real losers, Enderle said: XP users will get a brand new OS with some very old Java.

Enderle said Sun's own version of Java — which the company will make available for download later — would stand a better chance in the market if Sun spun off its Java business as an independent company.

"The only way I see this technology can possibly challenge Microsoft is if it's from another independent software company, and not a company competing with the [computer manufacturers]," Enderle said. "It's the only way it's going to work."

Another Bone of Contention

XP has also proven a source of discontent among rival computer manufacturers.

Although XP is officially scheduled for release on October 25, IBM and Compaq revealed earlier this month that they had received the go-ahead from Microsoft to ship new PCs with XP as much as a month earlier. The news came as a shock to rival PC makers, who said Microsoft had led them to believe that such early shipments were not allowed.

Analysts said Microsoft's planned Friday release of XP may be a move to quell discontent among PC makers who feel their rivals have been given preferential treatment.

"We have the same agreement in this regard with all OEMs," Microsoft spokesman Jim Cullinan said. "What they do after the code is released is up to them. Some set up faster than others."