Sun Microsystems Inc has raised the stakes in its showdown with Microsoft Corp, asking a US court to prevent Microsoft from using the Java-compatible logo on its products until it ships a version of the Java Development Kit 1.1 which passes the conformance tests Sun has created. It’s not revoking Microsoft’s Java license, only demanding Microsoft steps into line. Sun claims Microsoft has breached the terms of its Java licensing agreement by shipping JDK 1.1 in its Internet Explorer 4.0 browser minus certain key connectivity programs, while adding others which are specific to the Windows environment and trick developers into thinking that the modifications are safe to use to write applications which work across platforms when in fact they are not. Furthermore, Microsoft’s web site claims IE 4.0 is fully compatible with JDK 1.1. Microsoft also ships JDK 1.1 in a version 2.0 of its Java software developer kit. In its Java licensing agreement – terms of which are being kept secret – Microsoft is contractually bound to keep its product in line with Sun’s current Java specifications. Within a certain length of time it is obliged to ship a compliant version of the latest Java release. That time has expired and Sun’s suit alleges trademark infringement, false advertising, breach of contract, unfair competition, interference with prospective economic advantage and breach of contract. Sun says that for the six months up until Sunday September 28 it had been trying to persuade Microsoft to get in line but was left with no choice but to pursue litigation. Specifically, Microsoft has omitted the Java Native Method Interface (JNI) and Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) mechanisms from its JDK 1.1 implementation. JNI is a virtual machine interface that enables native program code to be invoked. RMI enables Java programs to connect between different computers. In their place Microsoft ships AFC Application Foundation Classes and J/Direct which ties Java applications using them to the Windows platform. Sun says Microsoft has modified as many 40 other JDK 1.1 reference APIs. Sun says it shipped JDK 1.1 and the associated test suites to Microsoft back in February. It says it would accept Microsoft making RMI available through another channel – not bundled in IE – though RNI must be included, if or if it were to provide support for both in J/Direct. Sun says it doesn’t think any other of its 116 Java licensees are breaching their agreements. Netscape Communications Corp doesn’t yet ship a JDK 1.1-compliant browser, but has never claimed it is doing so and has committed to making its future browser comply. Only Borland, Symantec, IBM and Sun itself are currently shipping JDK 1.1 products. Sun says it will stop Microsoft getting its hands on additional Java intellectual property in the form of Java upgrades and enhancements until its products conform. Sun is making early versions of its HotSpot virtual machine available top other licensees, but not to Microsoft. HotSpot is claimed to enable Java code to run at the same speed as C++ code executed natively on the platform. Sun is the only company which has the right to define APIs for Java.
