Read this =) ---------------- Date: 18-06-99 Source: InfoWorld Subject: McNealy preaches to the converted during final JavaOne keynote The final keynote address of this week's JavaOne developer conference in San Francisco had three overarching themes: Linux is good, Microsoft is evil, and appliance computing is here to stay. Patricia Sueltz, general manager of Java at IBM, took the stage first to discuss what she and Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy have in common: a commitment to core standard technologies such as Linux, the Extensible Markup Language (XML), and Java for driving e-business applications. In response to a petition signed by almost 1,000 developers, IBM last week released VisualAge for Java. "The Linux JVM [Java virtual machine] is part of IBM's major commitment to Linux support on hardware and software," Sueltz said. Sueltz pleaded with the almost 10,000 developers in the audience -- JavaOne itself was attended by about 21,000 people -- to continue to be vocal and aggressive in their commitment to standards. In a tone reminiscent of a rally on the campus of U.C. Berkeley, Sueltz shouted, "refuse to conform to proprietary development models. Throw them out! Subvert the forces that would fragment Java! Continue to fight for open standards!" Sueltz also lauded the power of XML, saying that "XML does for data what Java does for apps," and she encouraged the definition of standards to link the two before proprietary solutions emerge first. When McNealy took the stage, the true Redmond bashing began, with even a few jabs at IBM -- despite that company's fervent support of Java. McNealy opened with his usual top 10 list, this time: the "Top 10 signs your boss isn't designed to be a software development manager." The top signs included, "He thinks plug-ins are an alternative to Rogaine; he thinks since Microsoft calls it Windows 2000 it must be Y2K-compliant; and No. 1, he actually dated in high school." The Microsoft insults were greeted with more applause than the developer geek jokes. Next, McNealy reminded attendees that he promised in his speech in 1998 to drive Java down to consumer devices. This reminder served as his launch into a description of the new computing model that says software is becoming a commodity and will be replaced by appliances and services. In addition to its mobility, McNealy said safety and security are Java's most compelling attributes. He compared Java with what he perceives as a virus-prone Windows environment that is not nearly stable enough. "If this was the car business, the government would force Microsoft to recall every one of those things. Write safely, write in Java," McNealy said. Under this new appliance/services model, McNealy said that only three architectures will continue to thrive: Linux, Wintel, and Java/Solaris/Sparc/Jini. What used to be software applications will become features accessible from a Java browser, he said. "When was the last time you saw a software start-up?" McNealy asked. According to McNealy, this new model is cheaper, more exciting, and certainly more mobile. "It would be really cool if you didn't have to lug your computer everywhere you went," McNealy said -- a statement for which he received significant applause from an audience that was likely exhausted from toting their laptops around all week. Emily Fitzloff is an InfoWorld senior writer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
