Microsoft to Cut Off Support for Java in 2004

ouroborosouroboros
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Well this is possibly very good news for the Mac platform:



<a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020618/tc_nm/tech_microsoft_dc_1"; target="_blank">http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020618/tc_nm/tech_microsoft_dc_1</a>;



Of course what's going to happen to Sun eventually? They don't charge for Java, so when there is no option for Java on PC's, let's hope development continues...



So much for standards.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    nebagakidnebagakid Posts: 2,692member
    can you summarize puleeeze?
  • Reply 2 of 10
    allenchristopherallenchristopher Posts: 135member
    Sure.



    -If you do a clean install of whatever version of Windows Microsoft is selling in 2004 you won't have Java support on that machine.



    -Microsoft claims this is because Sun reserves the rights to Java and won't allow Microsoft to change the language for "security reasons."



    -Sun claims it is because Microsoft doesn't want so much programming to be done for a platform over which Microsoft has no control.



    Now for my opinion:



    Microsoft is lying. Sun plugs any security holes found in Java right away because Sun's name is on the line. Besides, Sun is in a better position to fix security problems, since Sun's programmers invented the language.



    It's clever, though. MS can say they don't want to include Java because then MS could be liable for damage Java does to the system. Of course, that wouldn't hold up in court, since Microsoft includes other software with the OS that MS doesn't own, from time to time.



    Edit: Sun will continue to offer Java as a download for running Java programs, just as one must download Shockwave to play Schockwave files and QuickTime to play QuickTime files. The question is whether people will be able to pull the download off. Most downloaded software is never installed: people download it but can't figure out how to run the installer, so it sits forgotten on the hard-drive.



    [ 06-21-2002: Message edited by: AllenChristopher ]</p>
  • Reply 3 of 10
    patchoulipatchouli Posts: 402member
    [quote]Originally posted by AllenChristopher:

    <strong>Sure.



    The question is whether people will be able to pull the download off. Most downloaded software is never installed: people download it but can't figure out how to run the installer, so it sits forgotten on the hard-drive.



    </strong><hr></blockquote>Yes, double clicking on an icon for an automated installer can get quite tricky.
  • Reply 4 of 10
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    [quote]Originally posted by Patchouli:

    <strong>Yes, double clicking on an icon for an automated installer can get quite tricky. </strong><hr></blockquote>



    You'd be unpleasantly surprised.



    My mother thought for *weeks* that to install something, all she had to do was download it... she kept telling me that the apps weren't appearing when she installed them. Turned out, she had eight copies of one installer... and nothing installed.



    When I told her that she had to find where it had been downloaded, double-click it to uncompress it, then double-click the resulting file and go through the dialogs, she thought it was ridiculously complex.



    Then she ran across a .dmg file... *sigh* "It's a *what*? It shows up *where*? And then I have to drag *what* *where*?"



    Never underestimate the consumer's capacity for misunderstanding.
  • Reply 5 of 10
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    It's funny watching PC users use PCs. In that sad but funny kind of way.



    This is really cool. Yup. Just like when M$ was ORDERED to remove IE from Windows 98 (they didn't)



    When Sun joins the antitrust side, M$ IMMEDIATELY an blatantly retaliates. Nope, no monopoly. Didn't break the law. nope.



    How can their lawyers keep a straight face? M$ must be handing out an awful lot of benjies in Washington.



    Hopefully this will backfire on them, but I don't see how Sun's Java can survive a direct attack by M$.
  • Reply 6 of 10
    allenchristopherallenchristopher Posts: 135member
    Personally, I think Java will survive easily. Microsoft thinks Windows gives it all the power, but all Sun has to do is get Java bundled with AOL.



    Besides which, tens of thousands of companies across the continent just had old accounting or record-keeping software upgraded with Java interfaces for millions of dollars. The business plans of many of those companies call for using the new systems for decades, so even if the home market is again stomped by Microsoft Java will survive where it is most important, just as Unix chugged along through the rise of the personal computer and MS, some Unix systems only having been rebooted a few times since Windows was introduced.
  • Reply 7 of 10
    wmfwmf Posts: 1,164member
    For Java 1.4.1 if you don't have it you won't even have to double-click an installer. Sun has a new installation process (for Windows) that's probably only one click.
  • Reply 8 of 10
    mingming Posts: 41member
    The picture supplied with the article was quite funny. When I read the caption "Microsoft staff members" my reaction was "these are the people programming for Microsoft???" (but of course my other reaction was "Microsoft staff members are composed of pretty Asian girls in butterfly dresses? I want to work there!").
  • Reply 9 of 10
    killboykillboy Posts: 31member
    cable television companies and set-top box manufacturers are highly motivated to come up with a "non-microsoft" solution for internet television.



    the battle is on for who is going to "own" iTV - the future of consumer "computing" .



    and a lot of people don't want it to be Redmond.



    Sun has an opportunity there but would really have to open itself out to that community in an unprecidented way if it really wants to be a force there.



    a lot of skull cracking going on in that sector right now.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    rogue27rogue27 Posts: 607member
    I seriously hope Microsoft loses this case and is forced to include Java.



    That line about security holes is utter BS. Microsoft has created more security holes by themselves than any other company in the history of computing, and I don't know if there is any way for a Java Applet to cause security problems anyway. It's utterly ridiculous, but if enough people in dc have been bought and enough judges and juries have no clue what the case is over, then Microsoft could win.



    Right now, I think the news announcment is just a scare tactic to trick corporations into switching over to buggy and insecure Microsoft technologies.
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