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28 Jun 2005
IBM and Sun Microsystems have agreed to a 10-year extension to IBM's existing Java licence.
The agreement provides Big Blue with access to the technology behind the Java Enterprise Edition, Micro Edition and Standard Edition until 2016.
Without the contract renewal, the Java implementations from IBM and Sun would probably have followed different paths, causing applications certified for IBM's application server to break on Sun's software.
"We've had a little bit of a chill in the IBM relationship," Sun's chief operating officer Jonathan Schwartz told delegates during a keynote presentation at the JavaOne developers conference in San Francisco.
"We've been making strides in trying to reach out to members of the community with whom our relationships may have been strained. We've got to send a clear message that the marketplace is vibrant, open and participative."
The agreement marks another rapprochement between Sun and a long-time rival. The vendor signed a landmark agreement with Microsoft last year that brought interoperability between Java and .Net after a year-long legal dispute.
"Customers wanted to know whether to base their next generation on this," said Robert LeBlanc, general manager for IBM's WebSphere software division.
As part of the agreement IBM also promised to port and certify several enterprise applications including DB2, Rational, Tivoli and WebSphere over to Solaris for x86. The company said that the decision was a result of customer demand.
For Sun the agreement and patching up with former enemies brings a broader appeal for its products, according to Jean Bozman, research vice president at analyst firm IDC.
"By having Java well accepted by IBM, Sun is positioning itself to be involved in more deals," she said.
For IBM the agreement opens Sun's installed based of x86 servers for IBM software.
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