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Subject: Re: reason was: Java support missing (or malfunctioning?)

Author: Mridul Muralidharan

Date: 01:00:36 03/23/04

Go up one level in this thread


On March 23, 2004 at 03:42:26, Peter Schäfer wrote:

>On March 22, 2004 at 07:57:44, Mridul Muralidharan wrote:
>
>>On March 21, 2004 at 20:19:38, Eugene Nalimov wrote:
>>
>>>On March 21, 2004 at 19:06:06, Christophe Theron wrote:
>>>
>>>>On March 21, 2004 at 15:49:45, Eugene Nalimov wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On March 20, 2004 at 12:19:23, Christophe Theron wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On March 20, 2004 at 04:36:31, Mike S. wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On March 20, 2004 at 01:53:31, Kurt Utzinger wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On March 20, 2004 at 01:38:38, Kurt Utzinger wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>(...)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>     "The server tried to set an illegal cookie. The combination of
>>>>>>>>>     the server's hostname and the domain attribute for this cookie is not
>>>>>>>>>     acceptable, and the cookie has therefore been rejected. You might want to
>>>>>>>>>     ask the site's Webmaster to set legal cookies."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>     No idea what's wrong with this site as I have the browser set to
>>>>>>>>>     "cookies enabled".
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Nothing, except that it has a code monster for the navigation where a few simple
>>>>>>>links would be sufficient. That menu code requires a *Java* runtime software on
>>>>>>>the visitor's computer (not just javascript obviously). The error message above
>>>>>>>must come from wrong diagnosis, or isn't related to the access problem itself. I
>>>>>>>could always access these pages and I have cookies *disabled* in MSIE.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>The Java runtime software is not included in WinXP anymore (AFAIK since SP1a),
>>>>>>>which means that people with newer Windows XP installations won't be able to use
>>>>>>>that menu when they don't have installed a Java support themselves additionally
>>>>>>>(like I did as mentioned in the other posting).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>(I discoverd this Java issue recently when using XP for the first time, and i.e.
>>>>>>>the MyChessViewer which requires the same software, didn't run and I didn't find
>>>>>>>the Java runtime among the installable Windows components...)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>mfg.
>>>>>>>Michael
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Microsoft has removed Java support from recent versions of Windows with
>>>>>>-probably- the idea to hurt Sun, as Java is definitely a competitor to their
>>>>>>.NET stuff.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>There has been a lot of buzz around this a few months ago. A judge was about to
>>>>>>order Microsoft to put Java back in Windows, but it has not happened yet.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>In the IT area, a delay of a few weeks is enough to change completely the
>>>>>>landscape and to put companies out of business. Decisions of "Justice" take
>>>>>>several years to come. Microsoft knows this and knows that they can act
>>>>>>illegally: by the time the ruling against them arrives, all they have to pay for
>>>>>>is the coffin of their dead competitor.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Ordinary people like you and me have a naive view of ethics: I would not kill
>>>>>>anybody because it's a bad thing to do. Some "superiorly intelligent" people
>>>>>>have another way of looking at this: they simply ask themselves how much it will
>>>>>>cost them to murder somebody, and how much they will gain from the murder.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>But hey, everything I'm talking about here is naturally done in the interest of
>>>>>>"innovation" and in the deepest interest of the consumer.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I'm soooooo glad somebody out there is taking care of me and of the stuff I'm
>>>>>>allowed to run on my computer.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    Christophe
>>>>>
>>>>>Microsoft removed Java support from its products because Sun explicitely
>>>>>required that. That was one of the conditions of settlement between Sun and
>>>>>Microsoft.
>>>>>
>>>>>At the time of settlement Sun CEO Scott McNealy said "this is a victory for our
>>>>>licensees and consumers", so consumers should be happy, right?
>>>>>
>>>>>Thanks,
>>>>>Eugene
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Your comment is partial because it tells only half of the story - the half that
>>>>sounds good for your company.
>>>>
>>>>Here is what happened:
>>>>
>>>>1) Microsoft tried to create a version of Java that would have been incompatible
>>>>with the version they had licensed from Sun (Java's author). The idea was to use
>>>>their monopoly on desktop operating systems to inondate the market with this
>>>>incompatible version of Java, effectively taking control of the language
>>>>specifications. Why? Because developpers would naturally target their apps to
>>>>run on the most widespread version of the language, rendering the original Sun
>>>>version of the language obsolete (this strategy has been used for years by
>>>>Microsoft and is known as "Embrace and Extend"). This is clearly in violation of
>>>>the Java license agreement between Sun and Microsoft. And the result is that if
>>>>Java became a popular programming platform, users could not use anything else
>>>>than Windows as the underlying OS (using the Windows monopoly to reinforce the
>>>>Windows monopoly).
>>>>
>>>>2) Sun asked Microsoft to:
>>>>
>>>>  a) stop shipping this incompatible version of Java with Windows, and
>>>>
>>>>  b) ship a version that was in agreement with their license: a version
>>>>compatible with the standard created by Sun.
>>>>
>>>>3) A judge ruled in favor of Sun for both a and b.
>>>>
>>>>4) Microsoft appealed the decision.
>>>>
>>>>5) In a further ruling, a three judge panel decided somewhat differently:
>>>>
>>>>  a) they agreed that Microsoft exceeded the scope of the license agreement, and
>>>>that Microsoft should stop shipping its incompatible version of Java with
>>>>Windows. That is the victory for Sun that you mention.
>>>>
>>>>  b) but they did not go as far as forcing Microsoft to ship the standard
>>>>version of Java with Windows. That's where is Sun is losing, because Microsoft
>>>>can get away with murder (having spread a version of Java that was incompatible
>>>>with the standard, effectively hurting the Java language).
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>You can find plenty of information about this on the net. For example:
>>>>
>>>>  http://news.com.com/2100-1007_3-1021452.html
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>    Christophe
>>>
>>>And here are 2 additional facts:
>>>
>>>(a) At the time Sun started its legal attack on Microsoft, Microsoft's
>>>implementation of Java was *the* most confirming Java implementation. It was
>>>more compatible with Java specification that Sun's own implementation.
>>>
>>>(b) When some researcher pointed to Sun that Sun's Java implementation violates
>>>Java specification (Java memory model), Sun continued to ship incompatible
>>>implementation for several years. Not sure about current status, because I
>>>stopped tracking Java several years ago.
>>>
>>>It looks that some Java implementations are more equal than others...
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>Eugene
>>
>>
>>1) I am not sure about b - I dont know whether this is true or not.
>>Even if it is true , but this still remains a bug in the VM implementation -
>>nothing more , nothing less.
>>
>>2) Sun's "legal attack" on microsoft was necessiated by their proprietory
>>extensions to java - which were _not_ compatible with other VM implementation.
>>This is direct violation of the agreement - which was the reason Sun won the
>>suit.
>
>They won the suit but lost the market.

Better than losing the language and the market :)

>Maybe they shouldn't have licensed
>Java to Microsoft in the first place, knowing M$'s strategy of "embrace and
>extend".

Within the constraints of the license agreement - why not !
It might lead to good for the language and the community.


>As a result of the whole confusion, Java Applets are pretty dead.
>
>Fortunately, Java is alive and kicking in the server market and
>slowly (pun intended) coming to the desktop.

I disagree , but no comments :)

Mridul



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