Sun's Java break into Microsoft Windows

SAN FRANCISCO: Personal Computer makers including Acer, Gateway and Toshiba will start selling laptop and notebook personal computers loaded with the latest Sun Java software, according to Sun Microsystem. It had announced similar agreements in June with Hewlett-Packard and Dell.

Seeking to establish its Java programming language as a brand name and wrest market share from rival Microsoft Corp, Sun Microsystem said its agreements with PC makers to date increase the latest version of Java to 50 percent of the PC desktop market.

Introduced by Sun in 1995, Java is used to write software applications that run on many different types of computers, electronic devices and operating systems. Found in everything from Java smart cards to printers, computers, servers and cell phones, Java has spawned a community of three million software developers.

Santa Clara, California-based Sun has largely pitched Java as an instrument to blunt Microsoft's efforts on the Internet, handheld devices and other technology sectors.

Until recently, most PCs were shipped with Microsoft's version of the Java Virtual Machine, software needed to run programs written in Java. Sun had filed suit against Microsoft alleging that the world's biggest software maker had altered Java to make it work best only on Windows machines.

In December, a Maryland federal judge ordered Microsoft to include Sun's unaltered version of Java in its Windows operating system. Microsoft is appealing.

Acer and Gateway agreed to ship their PC and notebooks with Java. Sun said Samsung and Tsinghua Tongfang, China's third-largest PC maker, will also ship their laptop and desktop PCs with Java. Sun said Tsinghua Tongfang is the first to bring the latest Java software to the rapidly growing Chinese market.

Toshiba will ship its entire notebook product line with Java and Samsung will ship a broad range of its business and consumer desktop and notebooks PCs starting in December.

(C) Reuters