The Enterprise platform formerly known as Windows DNA (Microsoft's .NET platform) will not include Java support from Microsoft. Microsoft engineer Anders Hejlsberg said "All .Net languages are first-class players.", yet Java was not even mentioned, whereas languages like Eiffel and Pascal are being officially supported by Microsoft in its .NET platform.

    Its amazing what kind of insults you can get away with and still be politically correct. :) As a consolation, Microsoft officials confirmed that Rational Software (makers of Rational Rose) are working on a .NET enabled version of Java, but gave no other details.

    Will this exclusion remove Java's marketshare from eCommerece space? Perhaps I am thinking in-the-box, but I don't think so. How many people are actually using Java with Windows DNA right now? I think J2EE has far to much momentum to be unseated simply because Microsoft won't support J++ anymore.

   Thoughts?

..Mr Gates seems to have forgotten what made MS so big the first place; their product (MS-DOS) was as universally compatible as possible. Now they are trying to force things their way. Unless they wake up and smell the 'non proprietary' coffee, the market share they rest there laurels on will surely dwindle. Java could be another huge market for MS if they weren't so scared of it.

Microsoft can not support java in .NET platform, on account of Microsofts on going litigations with Sun regarding Java. Microsoft is not allowed to make enhancements to its java products viz. Visual J++. Thats why Microsoft has tied up with Rational for java support...

Hi,

I think Microsoft is "lost in space". I'm talking about the Enterprise supercomputing/mission critical space.

*nod* I really don't think Microsoft "gets it" with regards to the open, distributed architectures that are becoming the mainstream for big applications. They are still selling the same tired line "100% Microsoft" solutions. IMHO the company and it's lousy products will be relegated to a small niche in the desktop arena and eventually disappear as computing models transform.

Their .NET architecture is clearly an attempt to avoid this phase out, but since they missed the key points of compatibility, platform/vendor independance, etc I don't think they will succeed. Their "new" language C# is a nasty mess, and their whole reliance on XML is nothing more than buzzword compliance imho.

Excluding Java from Microsoft's game plan is probably one of the best things that could happen to Java. Previously, J++ and Internet Explorer's support for the Java language was always a one off. Although supporting Java might have allowed Microsoft loyalist to experiment with Java, the difference in support for the language made it extremely difficult to deliver Sun's promise of "write one, run anywhere". With Microsoft out of the picture, this dream of being able to run an application on any server or desktop may be a reality by the end of the year.

This thread : http://theserverside.com/discussion/thread.jsp?thread_id=4306 might also be of interest in the -

J2EE vs M$ .NET debate...