SAN MATEO (12-02-95) - Microsoft Corp. had picked this week to put its stamp on the Internet by unveiling its product strategy, but Netscape Communications Corp. and Sun Microsystems Inc. will steal some of Microsoft's thunder by announcing on Monday plans of their own aimed at extending Java's reach and influence.
In the raging battle to win mind share in the Internet community, Microsoft on Thursday will divulge its plans to link BackOffice and Office applications with the company's Internet offerings, including Internet Explorer, Blackbird, Internet Information Server, Merchant, and Catapult. At the same venue, Microsoft will outline plans to pull the rug out from under Java by making Visual Basic (VB) an easy-to-use programming standard for creating World Wide Web applications.
On Monday, however, Netscape, Sun, and as many as 25 other vendors will attempt to parry the VB threat by announcing JavaScript, a high-level scripting language based on Java and designed for rapid application development. Although the list of vendors is not final, it will include Oracle Corp., Sybase Inc., Informix Software Inc., Apple Computer Inc., Novell Inc., and Hewlett-Packard Co., Netscape said.
In recent months, Sun's Java has gained significant industry support, but the object-oriented language requires C++ skills, a fact Microsoft intends to play up as it promotes its less-complicated Visual Basic as a tool for creating Internet-based OLE custom controls (OCXes), which are comparable to Java applets.
Netscape will implement JavaScript in its Netscape Navigator Gold 2.0 Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) authoring tool, which will be released in the next two months, said Mike Homer, vice president of marketing at Netscape. The company, which originally announced its intention to offer Java scripting capabilities in September, will also add JavaScript to LiveWire, its Web site management software.
With Netscape Navigator Gold, developers will be able to quickly add applets, such as a financial calculator or animation, to HTML pages. The JavaScript capabilities in LiveWire will be oriented toward server-based applications, such as connecting databases to Web servers, officials said.
A JavaScript run-time engine will be available over the Internet in the next month, said Eric Schmidt, chief technology officer at Sun.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is working overtime to complete its core Internet offerings by mid-1996. Key to the company's strategy for VB as an Internet tool will be support for OLE components in Internet Explorer, the company's Web browser. To that end, the company will explain on Thursday how Internet Explorer 3.0 will become a container for OLE objects as well as an HTML browser, said Doug Henrich, director of developer relations at Microsoft. The company plans to release Version 3.0 within three months, he said.
Microsoft will this week devote part of its efforts to promoting the Internet Server API, a feature of its Internet Information Server (code- named Gibraltar) that will provide better performance with databases.
"[Microsoft's] intention is to convince people that they're not behind the curve on the Internet," said Dwight Davis, editor of Windows Watcher, in Redmond, Wash. "They will attempt to counter Java with OCXes. Netscape has to be worried, because they know Microsoft is going to go after them."
Additional reporting by Mike Ricciuti.
[Copyright 1995 InfoWorld (US), International Data Group Inc. All rights reserved.]