| Sun vs. Microsoft This
was the first battle about who controls the Java platform. Sun
promised to make Java a public standard while Microsoft sought to customize it for Windows and in the process fracture
Java and reduce its portability. |
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Big Loser: Microsoft.
Two years ago, before the Java suit, Microsoft had the
fastest JVM. But since then, they've been completely shut out of the Java server/EJB market - a devastating loss
regardless who wins the suit.
Box Score:
Sun 7 - Microsoft 0
Unsung Hero 1: IBM.
By adopting SOAP as its container connector in Websphere, IBM has opened up the EJB environment allowing participation
by non-Java XA/OTS systems.
Unsung Hero 2: Dan Adler.
His open source Java-Com
JACOB library lets you connect from the Sun JDK
to Microsoft COM using JNI. |
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| Sun vs. Netscape
This battle concerns what version of Java applets runs inside the browser. Netscape
has yet to deliver a browser that can run Java 2. But recently Sun seems to have almost abandoned applets in favor
of browserless applications. |
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Big Loser: Netscape.
Along with the AOL buyout and split up of Netscape, most of the Java heavies evacuated leaving Netscape and Mozilla
to fix the unfixable. So far they haven't.
Unsung Hero: Microsoft.
Both Internet Explorer 4 and 5 enable you to run Sun's Java 2 inside the browser. If it weren't for Microsoft,
Java applets would be completely dead.
Box Score:
Sun: 1 - Netscape: minus 3 |
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Netscape vs. Microsoft Everyone
knows this one too well, has their own version of the facts, and their own solution by now.
But the only solutions that matters belong to the Courts. Unless they finally get e-mail, what we think doesn't
really matter too much. So I won't bother you by trying to elucidate. |
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Big Loser 1: Small Developers
One of Microsoft's many roles has been to create
a market in which thousands of small companies can sell software at affordable prices. A crippled Microsoft could
really hurt small companies.
Big Loser 2: The 4th and 5th Amendment The search for the Microsoft's smoking gun has eroded your privacy. We like
to think of the personal computer as a kind of private extension for our thoughts. But PCs are not private. There
are many things you can tell your doctor, priest, lawyer, and your therapist. But don't store personal data on
your PC, or save your e-mail unless you're OK with it winding up on the Front Page.
Box Score:
Lawyers: 10 - Microsoft: 0 ( no hits and lots of fielding errors).
Unsung Hero: Apple Computers
Without Apple, and with a possibly weakened Windows
market, the developer pricing model might die out completely. Apple still don't have Java 2, but they will eventually.
And Apple has been able to increase market share with a platform that at least looks exciting and soon may actually
even be exciting. |
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| Metallica vs. Napster This
battle concerns whether Intenet users can share their own platform as Digital music has fallen victum to it's own
success. No one ever asked you "where'd you copy
that cassette tape?" CD Sales are way up but that's not good enough for the music industry. |
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Big Loser 1: Personal Computer Users
The Internet was designed to share information - but as a user you may not be allowed to. And the technology that
lets you is under fire. Your
computer may not be private - but you can't just go around sharing it either. You're "supposed to be"
a consumer, not a contributor.
Big Loser 2: Metallica
Box Score:
Napster: minus 8 - Metallica: minus 33-1/3 |
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Oracle vs. Microsoft
The "Network Computer,"
attempts to establish itself as a desk top platform. But Larry Ellison's bi-annual brain child
has no base running sense, and very little clout. |
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Big Loser 1: Oracle Even
with Oracle's new network file system, like the browser before it that Oracle agreed to drop to support Netscape,
the Network Computer is going nowhere once again. Larry has gained, Bill has lost, but Bill's still richer. Aut
Oracle must swim up stream just to get it's marketing team on to the field.
Big Loser 2: Microsoft
Despite a ton of rhetoric, Microsoft took the NC
bait and waded out into left field with Windows CE, compounding their later anti-trust woes.
Box Score: PPD
Rained Out
Microsoft still leads the league.
Winner: The
Umpire: By refering to the NC in his "raising
the barrier" argument, Judge Jackson has been one of the first and few humans to actually use the Network
Computer as a consumer device for anything mildly productive. |
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IBM et al vs. Sun
This battle concerns who brands the Java enterprise platform
- but it isn't just IBM and Sun. Other companies like
Unify and open source projects jBoss, Enhydra, Bullsoft, and ExOffice don't see Sun's kings-ransom priced J2EE
branding as necessary. |
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Big Loser 1: Small Developers (again)
At present, you can deliver on a budget with open
source servers, and you can develop with J2EE. But because of Sun's licensing, you can't ship a complete J2EE product
on a developer pricing model. This could severly limits capital growth of small companies.
Big Loser 2: NetDynamics Customers. In its commitment to J2EE, Sun has forced Net Dynamics customers to cut over
to iPlanet, for some, an unwanted opportunity.
And the Big Winner (and
Unsung Hero) is: BEA So far, Sun has
certified just one J2EE server - itself, Sun's own iPlant.
But it is BEA who has captured the lions share of the market and EJB developer loyalties. The vast majority of
component developers have rallied around BEA Weblogic as if it were the standard rather than Sun.
Box Score:
IBM 1 - Sun 1 - BEA 5 |
