Java Out Of Windows XP

Windows XP will ship without Microsoft’s Java Virtual Machine (JVM), forcing users to download a 5MB program the first time they encounter a Java applet on the Web. Microsoft’s decision to drop the JVM could prove a headache for sites that use applets-Java programs that provide dynamic features such as headline tickers on Web pages. Some relief from the headache could come from PC manufacturers, who might choose to preinstall Microsoft’s JVM on new Windows XP machines.

A JVM is a software component that executes Java programs on a “virtual processor,” translating Java’s platform-independent “byte code” into executable code for the real processor on which the JVM is running. Microsoft’s JVM currently ships with Internet Explorer (IE) and numerous other products and is also available for download at its Web site.

Why Pull Java?

Microsoft says it dropped its JVM from Windows XP to simplify compliance with its Jan. 2001 settlement with Java developer Sun Microsystems, which had sued Microsoft over JVM compatibility issues. To comply with a preliminary injunction during that suit, Microsoft had to cut new disks for numerous products that shipped with its JVM. It doesn’t want to repeat that process with Windows XP. “When we remediated the virtual machine, we had to update over 6,800 products. This way users will all get the virtual machine from a single location,” notes Tony Goodhew, Microsoft product manager for Java. The company already faces legal threats against its new operating system from other quarters. (See “Legal Update: Wrangling Over Windows XP.)