Re: The San Francisco Project

** Reply to note from boothm@ibm.net Sat, 15 Nov 97 11:27:55 -0500

[snip]

> This is what bothers me.  I'd thought a jvm is a jvm is a jvm. Now we are
> talking "higher versions".  How long will it be before everyone has their
> own "higher version' that no one can cross connect too?  Soon there will
> be objects requiring specific jvm build dates and version numbers.  It'll
> be more of a nightmare than the MS tweaking of Win32S to break OS/2. 

Booth, certainly you aren't saying that Java developers must put every
possible feature into version 1.0 of the JVM? Even I would have trouble
coming up with every possible feature or need to match all the possible
uses of a virtual machine in the future. ;-)

Of course there are objects requiring specific build levels. Java Beans
aren't supported until 1.1. Why? Because they weren't developed and spec'd
until after 1.0 was already a product. I believe that 1.2 is the necessary
level for what we will consider eCommerce capable apps. Certainly
implementing the required level will be an annoyance at first. However, you
already know how slow financial institutions and vendors are with adopting
new pieces. It will be far easier for consumers to keep new levels on their
machines than for banks to outdistance them. 

The definition of the JVM is controlled by Sun. The only vendor that wishes
to break the consistancy of the JVM is Microsoft. No other vendor has a
monopoly to lose. To all vendors besides Microsoft, Java represents a
leveling of the playing field. So, I wouldn't worry about other vendors
running off and developing their own JVM versions. 

Let's see how the Microsoft/Sun lawsuit progresses to see if MS can break
their contract with Sun about keeping the JVM standard. 

However, even if Microsoft can stray, IBM and Netscape can see to it that a
Sun standard version of the JVM is available to all Win32 users. Microsoft
is trying to head this off by forcing all vendors to ship IE in a strong
effort to displace Netscape. 


> Booth Martin     
 

Chris Rehm
Mr.AS400@ibm.net

How often can you afford to be unexpectedly out of business?
Get an AS/400.
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