Java leads .Net - for now

Customers are more likely to use Java than Microsoft's .Net because it is considered more open. But if Sun Microsystems' language reveals any weaknesses, companies would not hesitate to go with the Redmond giant instead.

Linda Leung, vnunet.com

Customers are more likely to use Java than Microsoft's .Net because it is considered more open. But if Sun Microsystems' language reveals any weaknesses, companies would not hesitate to go with the Redmond giant instead.

This was one of the main conclusions of a Java versus .Net debate at Comdex involving end users and developers of software components.

Advertisement

Kevin Starrett, a lead developer and analyst, said Java's plus point is that it does not require developers to recreate system and logic, such as threading, when developing.

US distribution company Federal Express (FedEx) is a pure Java shop but Starrett said that FedEx would not think twice about dropping Java if it no longer provided any benefits.

"If there is something Java can't do well we would go with Microsoft," he said. "But we would not go this way out of spite. We have to keep an open mind, but at least now we have a choice."

He believes that the announcement of .Net has increased competition for Java, and that customers will benefit from the resulting innovations. The industry remains divided, however, about whether Java should be handed over to a standards body or be given away under an open source model.

Last December, Sun abandoned plans to make the language an industry standard because, according to some analysts, it feared that a standardised version would work very differently from its own offering.

"When Sun first approached a standards body we were very pleased, but when it held back we were very upset," said Steve Richardson, chief technical architect at Vercom, a Java-based software component developer.

But Tom Dwyer, an analyst at researcher the Aberdeen Group, does not believe Sun's decision has harmed Java. "Although many found Sun's decision problematic, the pace of technological improvement to Java has been something they can count on."

  • Have your say
  • Send to a friend
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • Share

Tags:

Do you agree?

Further reading

Microsoft has 'lost the enterprise battle'

BEA chairman gives the thumbs down to .Net

Microsoft enters security market

Microsoft has launched its first security software product in the form of a firewall and web caching tool.

Java and .Net boosted by new artillery

Microsoft and Sun Microsystems have boosted their respective development environments with a .Net development tool and the naming of Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition certified vendors.

Related whitepapers

Related jobs

Most watched

HTC Hero

Hands on with the HTC Hero

V3.co.uk gets a walk through of the Hero, which includes HTC's new Sense overlay for Android

Xperia X1

Video Review: Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

First Looks Editor Ian Williams gets hands on with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

IT white papers

Search white papers

Top categories

Poll

Poll: Summer smartphones

Poll: Summer smartphones

Which smartphone will you be taking to the beach this summer?

View poll results

Advertisement

Advertisement

Newsletter signup

Sign up for our range of FREE newsletters:

Existing User

Newsletter user login:

Enter email address to edit your newsletter preferences

Job of the week

Search thousands of IT jobs :

Search thousands of IT jobs:

Advanced search

Hiring now on ComputingCareers:

Related IT jobs

Search thousands of IT jobs :

Search thousands of IT jobs:

Advanced search

Spotlight

HTC Hero

Hands on with the HTC Hero

V3.co.uk gets a walk through of the Hero, which includes...

NetGear ReadyNAS NVX

Review: NetGear ReadyNAS NVX

NetGear's four-bay compact network-attached storage gets a serious speed boost

AMD

AMD adds to six-core Opteron line up

New HE processors promise even lower power consumption

Adobe Systems

Adobe launches ColdFusion 9 and ColdFusion Builder

Firm promises enhanced developer productivity

Primary Navigation