SAN MATEO (10-28-95) - A critical mass of software vendors is throwing support behind Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java Internet programming language in the hopes that it will shape the first generation of Internet-based client/server applications.
The list of vendors at Internet World in Boston next week that will soon announce support for Java applets in their products includes Lotus Development Corp., Intuit Inc., Borland International Inc., Macromedia Inc., and Spyglass Inc.
Oracle Corp., meanwhile, will next week unveil its Java-enabled Web browser, joining Netscape Communications Corp. and Toshiba Corp., which have already announced support for Java.
Available on the Internet in a beta version, the Java programming language enables users to create applets, such as animations or real-time stock tickers, that enhance otherwise static Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages.
But Sun is touting Java as far more than a tool for World Wide Web window dressing, saying that the object-oriented, interpreted language will turn the Web into a platform for sophisticated client/server applications.
Java is a cross-platform development environment, so Web programs for data mining or groupware applications will only need to be written once for multiple platforms, said Kim Polese, senior product manager for Java. Moreover, because Java is an interpreted and not a compiled language, these applications will be easier to administer, Polese added. Webmasters will be able to update applications across the network at run time.
But Java is only just becoming available in commercial products.
"It's going to be a while before corporations make use of Java for enterprise computing," said Hugo Toledo, senior consultant at Saraswati Systems Corp., a systems integration and consulting company based in Chicago. "It is compelling technology, but it's not liberating technology yet. People haven't quite figured out the applications."
But a host of tool and Web browser vendors are preparing to endorse Java in their products.
Among the companies soon to announce development toolkits, San Francisco-based Macromedia will this week reveal that future versions of Authorware and Director will enable users to create Java applets, according to sources. Similarly, Borland is negotiating to license Java for its own development environment. Sun has already announced Workshop, its Java and HTML development environment.
On the client side, Oracle, in Redwood Shores, Calif., will this week announce the January availability of PowerBrowser, a Web browser for Windows 95, Macintosh, and Motif that supports Java.
Spyglass, in Naperville, Ill., is negotiating with Sun to license Java for its Web browser and is expected to announce an agreement as early as next week, according to sources. A Spyglass agreement with Sun could lead to broad Java support, because the company licenses its Enhanced Mosaic source code to other vendors, such as Microsoft Corp.
Sun also expects to sign Java licensing agreements with two non-Web vendors, Lotus and Intuit, which are planning to incorporate Java into Notes and Quicken, respectively, said John Gage, director of Sun's science office.
Mountain View, Calif.-based Netscape Communications Corp. is beta testing Netscape Navigator 2.0 in Windows 95, Windows NT, and Unix versions that support Java. Toshiba has also licensed Java.
Despite growing support, some security concerns are being raised about Java applets.
"Frankly, I don't trust Java," said Steven Bellovin, a senior researcher and security expert at AT&T Bell Laboratories, based in Murray Hill, N.J. "The real issue is, can you control the behavior of Java applets?"
Although Sun maintains that Java includes facilities for screening out viruses, Java applets might open up undetectable security holes on a client computer.
(Additional reporting by Rob Guth of the IDG News Service.)
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