Java Support Gets Reprieve

The Microsoft Java Virtual Machine (JVM) will be supported for another year, until Sept. 30, 2004, thanks to a new agreement between Microsoft and Sun Microsystems. However, given the divergent strategies of the two companies, IT planners still relying on the Microsoft JVM should use the time to devel p an exit strategy-either by migrating to Microsoft’s .NET Framework and programming tools or switching to a third-party JVM.

Planning for the Change

As part of a Jan. 2001 settlement of its long-standing legal dispute with Sun, Microsoft agreed to end its use of Sun’s Java source code and test suites on Sept. 30, 2003. Without an extension, Microsoft would not have had access to any security fixes made available by Sun, leaving Microsoft unable to issue appropriate patches.

Under the terms of the new agreement, Microsoft’s access to Sun’s code will now expire on Sept. 30, 2004, giving customers one more year to implement one of three strategies:

Migrate to .NET. As part of its Visual Studio .NET (VS.NET) product, Microsoft provides Visual J#, which allows developers to use the Java programming language to build .NET applications (applications that execute on the .NET Common Language Runtime). Visual J# also includes the Java Language Conversion Assistant-a set of tools to migrate applications from the Microsoft JVM to .NET. For IT organizations that have decided to build future applications around .NET, migrating directly may make more sense than switching from one JVM to another.