Last July, Microsoft first disclosed that its Windows XP operating system wouldn't ship with the JVM code needed to run Java applications (see story). "We will not put our customers or Windows at risk, so you can anticipate that there will be no Java in Windows from that point forward," Cullinan said. Microsoft said the settlement agreement with Sun prevents Microsoft from making any changes, including security fixes, to its Java implementation after Jan. "It is also unfortunate that Microsoft threatens to pull the plug on its distribution of a Java Runtime in 2004, a move calculated to coerce consumers and developers who prefer the Java platform to nonetheless abandon that platform.," Sun said. It is unfortunate, though, that Microsoft insists on using an outdated and incompatible Java Runtime instead of a current and compatible one.
Sun, in a statement, said: "Today's about-face decision by Microsoft.is good news for both consumers and software developers who have come to depend on Sun's Java platform. "We wanted to take this issue off the table in the new lawsuit, while minimizing any potential impact on our customers," Cullinan said. But Sun had claimed that the installation-on-demand option violated a settlement agreement that the two vendors had reached, according to Microsoft. Microsoft currently gives customers the option of downloading its JVM "on demand" when they encounter a Java applet. He called the Microsoft decision "largely symbolic."Ĭullinan said today's decision came in response to Sun Microsystems Inc.'s recent lawsuit against the software maker. Smith said the decision to include Java support in the Windows XP Service Pack won't have a huge impact on corporate developers, who usually make arrangements to ensure that their users have the JVMs necessary to run their applications.