Sponsored Links
Microsoft 2, SunScape 1
Despite its late arrival to the Web, Microsoft still leads Sun and Netscape in the battle for the Internet
- Feedback
- Discuss
Page 2 of 3
It also lets developers reuse the massive amount of software already written in Visual Basic and Visual C++. Moving components from a PC application to an HTML page should be as easy as drag-and-drop. Existing OLE components (via the new Active/X standard) will execute in the Internet Explorer interpreter, as will Java applets. Within the Microsoft world it will be possible to view live Excel spreadsheets or any other desktop application directly from the Microsoft browser.
While many unanswered questions remain, the Microsoft view is compelling. It provides for both evolution and revolution, and leverages the existing expertise in companies that have been building Windows applications for the last five years. The 2.5 million Visual Basic programmers don't have to start from scratch. All the Visual C++ code written in the last few years gets a new life, and Microsoft Word works in a browser.
The questions? Safety and security are at the top of the list. A major strength of the SunScape approach is the architecture of their virtual machine. Applets or applications created for this environment can be written to have access only to memory within the virtual machine's address space. Local memory, disk, and other resources are untouched, providing an effective barrier against viruses and other contaminants. The Microsoft environment provides only a "safe" runtime for Visual Basic and Visual Basic Script, and general-purpose signed-code support.
Another interesting issue is that Microsoft has been actively porting its Internet Explorer to other platforms. It currently runs on Windows 95, Windows 3.1, and the Macintosh. An open question is how the vast libraries of VBX and OCX components can be made to execute on other operating systems. Will they run in as part of a plug-in package included in the Microsoft browser or not run at all? Are there multiple versions of Internet Explorer or only one? The choice is Microsoft's alone. Its strength in the old world is its strength in the new: One company owns all the software.
The SunScape view already seems somewhat Unix-like and could easily produce a new set of incompatibilities in the next decade, just like the Unix wars of the 1980s. If there is only one universal browser and one Internet operating system, who owns it? Sun? Netscape? What about HP, IBM, Digital, and the other vendors who are left behind? Will they write competing products? Will they enhance or modify the SunScape software? What about compatibility? Standards? The old saying in the Unix world is that standards are good, and the great thing about Unix standards is that there are so many to choose from. That joke may end up being revived and getting big laughs in the Internet community.
All in all, both teams have solid lineups that should make for an exciting game. Microsoft owns the existing desktop and is making significant inroads against Unix and proprietary environments at the network level with Windows NT, Microsoft BackOffice, and the Merchant Server. To win in the new world of the Internet, all Microsoft has to do is be "good enough." The team from Redmond is already way beyond that point, and has its eyes on the fences.
- Feedback
Resources
- Our international readers or anyone else who may be unfamiliar with some of the baseball terminology in this article may wish to refer tohttp://www.yahoo.com/Recreation/Sports/Baseball/ for information on "America's Pastime."
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Terms of Service/Privacy
Copyright, 2006-2008 Network World, Inc. All rights reserved.