Java versus .Net debate heats up

Customers are more likely to use Java than .Net because it is considered more open, but if Sun Microsystems' language shows any weaknesses, companies would not hesitate to go with Microsoft.

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

Tim Oliver, a systems analyst at US conglomerate General Electric (GE), said that the company switched from using Microsoft's Com development environment to Enterprise Java Beans because it was attracted to the cross-platform aspect of Java.

He also pointed out that retraining GE's staff from Microsoft to Java was not an issue. "Our developers are clamouring to learn Java and they've been doing things on their own. We've been using books and tutorials," said Oliver.

US distribution company Federal Express (FedEx) is a pure Java shop, and Kevin Starrett, a lead developer and analyst, said that the benefit of Java is that it does not require developers to recreate system and logic, such as threading, when developing. "Java feels like it gives us the opportunity to adhere to standards," he said.

But Starrett confirmed 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 appearance of .Net has increased competition for the Java movement and that customers will benefit from the resulting innovations. But the industry is divided 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 Java an industry standard because, according to some analysts, it feared that a standardised version would work very differently from its own offering.

Steve Richardson, chief technical architect at Vercom, a Java-based software component developer, said: "When Sun first approached a standards body we were very pleased, but when it held back we were very upset. Customers said they felt more comfortable if there was a standard."

But Tom Dwyer, an analyst at researcher the Aberdeen Group, does not believe Sun's decision has harmed the Java movement. "If you follow [the standards process] you realise how slow everything is. The alternative is a supplier-driven consortium: argue on specifications and complete them. Although many companies found Sun's decision problematic, the pace of technological improvement to Java has been something they can count on," he said.

However, Richardson believes that the pace of advances within Java could be slowed down. "Java is evolving too rapidly and it would be beneficial if it slowed down so that we could grasp what is going on. If the choice is between standardisation or open source, our customers would wait for standards," he concluded.