Wizard API updated!
Tim Boudreau has released a new version of the Swing Wizard library (version 0.997) that fixes the WizardException bug reported in JavaWorld's recent Open Source Java Project profile. The article's examples have been reworked to test out the new, improved WizardException. Thanks, Tim, for this helpful fix!
Open Source Java Projects: The Wizard API

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Microsoft's "Java Evangelist" responds to Java Lobby requests

Java Lobby angry over Microsoft's perceived about-face

By Jenni Aloi, JavaWorld.com, 10/01/97

San Francisco (10/1/97) -- In an open letter to Bill Gates and Microsoft, the founder of the grass-roots Java Lobby passionately argued for Microsoft's adherence to the "write once, run anywhere" goal of Java. The result: Though no formal response has been offered by Bill, Microsoft's Java Evangelist told JavaWorld that such adherence is not forthcoming.

The Java Lobby, founded by Java developer Rick Ross in August of this year, is an independent organization that seeks to give developers a voice to raise concerns and discuss issues about the direction of Java. The Java Lobby embraces the "write once, run anywhere" principle, supporting the concepts of portability, open standards, and high performance. (See Resources for a link to the Java Lobby Web site.)

The letter, which was posted to the Java Lobby Web site early last week, expressed the Lobby's dissatisfaction with what it views as Microsoft's move to fragment and balkanize Java. The discussion boiled down to these two key topics:

  1. Java 1.1 support in Internet Explorer (IE) 4.0

  2. Microsoft's stance on shipping the Java Foundation Classes (JFC) and future Java 1.2 APIs as standard parts of Windows and IE


In response to the request for Java 1.1 support in IE, Microsoft's Java Evangelist Brad Merrill told JavaWorld, "Microsoft will ship full 1.1 compatibility [in the new release of IE] -- except for RMI [Remote Method Invocation] and JNI [Java Native Interface]." He suggested that the lack of support for these two APIs was likely due to "time, complexity, compatibility, and competition ... you can pick any two." Ross scoffed at these "excuses," noting that he would rather see such companies standing up for freedom of choice (concerning hardware and software decisions), integrity, and individual rights, rather than simply trying to attain a bottom line. Ross says he realizes that his rhetoric may be dismissed because of its lofty idealist overtones, but he feels strongly "that the individual still matters and that we should be entitled to an expectation of basic decency in the conduct of industry leaders."

In terms of the request for support of the JFC and other APIs, Merrill says Microsoft will not support the JFC, while it will consider support of future Sun APIs "on a case-by-case basis. We're not going to take everything JavaSoft determines as a standard as our gospel."

"I don't disagree with developers trying to gain a voice," added Merrill, noting that he believes Microsoft listens to developers. He did say, however, that developers "can't just go whining to corporations" and expect companies to solve all their problems for free," Merrill says. "A lot of developers want Microsoft to solve their problems. We think we offer some solid technologies to solve developers' problems ... our VM [virtual machine] kicks butt. ... If you don't like our implementation [of Java], then why not use the JDK?"

Ross's response: "I don't know what to call what Microsoft is doing, but it's not Java." Ross describes the "Java core platform" as a combination of the language, the VM and its bytecodes, and the full class libraries. He emphasizes cross-platform portability, and sees Microsoft's decision not to ship what he considers a fully-compliant Java core platform in the new release of IE as evidence that Microsoft wants to balkanize Java. "I think that the touchstone for comparison is whether the implementor is trying to produce a portable implementation of Java or whether they are trying not to."

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Resources
  • The Java Lobby http://www.javalobby.org/
  • "Developers rally to Java Lobby, petition Gates" (Computerworld 9/29/97) http://cwlive.cw.com:8080/home/online9697.nsf/All/970926developers18732
  • Do you care about "write once, run anywhere"? Take the JavaWorld Reader Poll! http://nigeria.wpi.com/cgi-bin/gwpoll/gwpoll/ballot.html
  • The dispute between Sun and Microsoft goes to the courts. Find out the details of Sun's lawsuit in this article http://www.javaworld.com/jw-10-1997/jw-10-sunsuit.html
  • A developer's perspective on what the lawsuit means to Java developers http://www.javaworld.com/jw-10-1997/jw-10-lawsuit.html