Representatives from Sun Microsystems and Microsoft are scheduled to appear in a US District Court next Tuesday to present their plans for integrating Sun's Java technology into Windows. The companies' plans are expected to be quite different. Sun wants its Java technology implemented in Windows within a few months, and Microsoft wants a 9-month reprieve--hardly in keeping with the notion behind the imposed preliminary injunction, which was designed to integrate Java into Windows as quickly as possible and avoid further damage to the technology.
On Monday, the companies submitted written proposals, protected under court seal, to Judge J. Frederick Motz. The proposals contain details about how Microsoft should implement the technology, the suggested timeline, and which Microsoft products would be affected. Sun says it asked the judge to require Microsoft to add Java to Windows within 90 days, a request that allegedly differs greatly from Microsoft's stance. The software giant's proposal calls for a 9-month delay before the company adds Java to Windows, Sun says. "Microsoft seeks to narrow and postpone its obligation to distribute the Java platform," Sun wrote in a court filing yesterday. "Some of Microsoft's proposed terms could serve as loopholes undermining the relief Sun has been granted."
Microsoft would rather see the issue handled in federal court than in the court of public opinion. "We will respond to these claims in court," said Microsoft spokesperson Jim Desler. "It's important that whatever injunction is entered by the court be very clear and well defined and we believe that our proposed order seeks to do just that."
