07.19.09
Microsoft Product Manager: “Screw Sun, cross-platform will never work. Let’s move on and steal the Java language.”
Summary: Microsoft speaks about “killing Sun’s Java.”
WE ARE STARTING to cover Java territories from the Comes vs Microsoft case, which Microsoft paid to settle, apparently with the condition that all this evidence will disappear. Today we offer the text version of Exhibit px_2768 (1997) [PDF], which shows Microsoft’s treatment of cross-platform, Java, and competition in general. The full exhibit can be seen at the bottom (or the original PDF), but to give some pointers and highlights, see the following message from Prashant Sridharan, Microsoft’s Visual J++ Product Manager:
If we, as a company, are interested in promoting Windows, why bother with AFC? In my own opinion (apart from Ironwood, J/Direct, or any of the other politically-charged topics now), we are horribly inconsistent in this regard.
Screw Sun, cross-platform will never work. Let’s move on and steal the Java language.
That said, have we ever taken a look at how long it would take Microsoft to build a cross-platform Java that did work? Naturally, we would never do it, but it would give us some idea of how much time we have to work with in killing Sun’s Java.
For readers’ convenience, the context too is displayed in the full exhibit. This fits our analysis that Microsoft et al (and now Novell [1, 2, 3]) are essentially fighting against Java with their .NET infatuation (or Visual J++ prior to that). This is done unethically in Microsoft’s case. It it also important to remind people how Microsoft really feels about Java now that Microsoft is invading Java conferences, pretending nothing negative was ever intended by Microsoft. █
Appendix: Comes vs. Microsoft – exhibit px_2768, as text
PLAINTIFF’S EXHIBIT
2768
Comes v. MicrosoftFrom: Russ Arun
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 1997 6:13 PM
To: Prashant Sridharan
Subject: RE: More Questions about ADO in java…Cross platform is a red herring that is not worth spending time on. Based all the numbers we see it is interestingly more irrelevant now than it was 5 years ago when I joined MS.
However we need to coopt the best lessons from Java into Windows.
——–
From: Prashant Sridharan
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 1997 6:07 PM
To: Russ Arun
Subhect: RE: More Questions about ADO in java…If we, as a company, are interested in promoting Windows, why bother with AFC? In my own opinion (apart from Ironwood, J/Direct, or any of the other politically-charged topics now), we are horribly inconsistent in this regard.
Screw Sun, cross-platform will never work. Let’s move on and steal the Java language.
That said, have we ever taken a look at how long it would take Microsoft to build a cross-platform Java that did work? Naturally, we would never do it, but it would give us some idea of how much time we have to work with in killing Sun’s Java.
Prashant Sridharan
Visual J++ Product Manager
preshant@microsoft.com
(425) 703-4682http://www.mediacity.com/-heath
—–Original Message—–
From: Russ Arun
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 1997 5:29 PM
To: Preshant Sridharan
Subhect: RE: More Questions about ADO in java…It is in Sun’s interest to be cross platform. NT is eating share fast. So they are scrambling to find something and Java is their best hope. But for Java they would be in trouble.
——–
From: Preshant Sridharan
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 1997 5:25 PM
To: Russ Arun
Subject: RE: More Questions about ADO in java…Agreed on x-plat. Screw Sun.
Of course, you and I probably have some old Sun buddies that would think otherwise
Prashant Sridharan
Visual J++ Product Manager
preshant@microsoft.com
(425) 703-4682http://www.mediacity.com/-heath
MSS 0097798
CONFIDENTIALATTORNEYS ONLY
—–Original Message—–
From: Russ Arun
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 1997 5:23 PM
To: Prashant Sridharan
Subhect: RE: More Questions about ADO in java…Don’t care about cross platform in future – pretense or otherwise. AFC is the closest to this at this point.
Yes – we are shipping the Microsoft JDBC-ODBC bridge that came from Intersolv and supports JDBC.
——–
From: Prashant Sridharan
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 1997 5:12 PM
To: Russ Arun
Subject: RE: More Questions about ADO in java…Russ,
I am now joining in this thread, so forgive the silly question. Are we not shipping JDBC at all with the SDK 2.0?
Do we have any pretense of cross-platform left?
Prashant Sridharan
Visual J++ Product Manager
preshant@microsoft.com
(425) 703-4682http://www.mediacity.com/-heath
—–Original Message—–
From: Russ Arun
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 1997 5:09 PM
To: Java Discussion Alias: Craig Longman (Excell Data Corporation)
Subject: RE: More Questions about ADO in java…In theory having both JDBC (the deprecated one) and MSJDBC (the Microsoft JDBC-ODBC bridge) is OK, but you will have spurious classes that I would worry about you relying on.
JDBC can be rid off by deleting JDBC.zip and any other muck should clear itself as part of the VM install.
——–
From: Craig Longman (Excell Data Corporation)
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 1997 4:59 PM
To: Java Discussion Alias
Subject: RE: More Questions about ADO in java…>in the words of ‘Russ Arun’
>* JDBC.zip is not being shipped – so you relying on it is not goodAhh. I just looked over the docs again, and I must admit I failed to notice the ‘ms’ in front of the jdbc.exe file to run. After running that, I get the Intersolv stuff installed just great, and everything is running fine.
Now if I can just figure out why multiple result sets in a single statement are not working correctly…
Does anyone know where I can report bugs on the jdbc-odbc bridge?
> – You might want to uninstall your VM and install the latest VM or IE
ATTORNEYS ONLY
of us to look forward to, no doubt.
>* There are examples in the SDK that might help you
Aside from the SimpleSelect.java that was changed to use MSs new naming conventions before they had the Intersolv which has the same naming conventions and can now use the standard sample, I couldn’t find anything in the samples that helped in any way what-so-ever.
Cheers, and thanks for the help.
CraigL->Thx():
MSS 0097800
CONFIDENTIALATTORNEYS ONLY
Credit: wallclimber
