John D. Mitchell's Blog

Microsoft phasing out products which depend on Java

Microsoft is citing the settlement over Java with Sun as the reason that Microsoft is pulling the plug on a number of versions of various products. Here's an article from Eweek that goes into more depth on this.

I particularly like this bit of spin from Microsoft:

"We will not ship products that include a piece of software we can not provide security fixes for, thus we are phasing out some older products and re-releasing some older products without the VM. This applies to all channels." --Tony Goodhew, Microsoft Developer Division

Of course, this is also a good excuse for Microsoft to push customers to pay for expensive upgrades.

Comments

• Planned Obsolescence 6.0
  "Of course, this is also a good excuse for Microsoft to push customers to pay for expensive upgrades."

  If you were able to dodge the "Licensing 6.0" bullet, this is the next round in the chamber.

  I don't know what is funnier; Microsoft claiming that this has anything to do with Java, or the notion that Microsoft would proactively abide by a legal settlement agreement!
  

  Posted by: jbob on December 09, 2003 at 07:38 AM

• funnier still
  "We will not ship products that include a piece of software we can not provide security fixes for..."

  how can one not erupt in incredulous laughter after reading that?

  Posted by: zyzgy on December 09, 2003 at 01:37 PM

• What happens when Java will not run on windows.
  This could just be a bit of slightly funny spite from Mr gates.

  It is more likely to be a cunning ploy to get rid of anything Java, and then make it difficult for Java to run, what happens then.

  Many developers will just switch to C#, and Java will shrivel and fade into obscurity.

  Posted by: philiprobinson on December 09, 2003 at 02:32 PM

• or, Windows developers can get off of the MS feeding tube now.
  C# will shrivel into obscurity a lot quicker than Java. Only one company has to abandon C# for it to go away. Microsoft will learn that one company does not make an industry.

  Java will continue without Microsoft and Java will (finally) run correctly on Windows with or without Microsoft.

  This is actually an opportunity for Windows developers to get off of the Microsoft feeding tube and get some independance along with a development environment that runs on Windows, Linux, Unix, OS X, cell phones, and more.

  Posted by: jbob on December 09, 2003 at 05:33 PM

• Giga weighs in.
  In an article on this subject, Giga VP John Rymer was quoted as saying:

  "Our attitude was this was a choice Microsoft made that Microsoft didn't have to make. Every other vendor on the planet has licensed Java. Microsoft has not. They could've license Java. They chose not to -- and Microsoft was very annoyed when we pointed that out,"

  This is an excellent point about how Microsoft continues to make decisions in spite of the effect on their customer base.

  Their most recent decision is to stop making available previous versions of their product that their customer's have standardized on and likely still use.

  So, if you are an enterprise that has a standard desktop that you have tested and automated the configuration of and deliver to all of your employees and it includes any of the multitude of discontinued products, you are screwed. You cannot rollout any additional machines. Now you will have a mixed bag of desktops to support and possible force customers to upgrade before they are ready. If someone's PC has to get replaced, you cannot buy a new one with the same version of software as the rest of your department. Nice job Bill.

  Posted by: jbob on December 09, 2003 at 05:49 PM

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