Bonum Certa Men Certa

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. Microsoft

From: 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) 703-4682 http://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) 703-4682 http://www.mediacity.com/-heath

MSS 0097798 CONFIDENTIAL

ATTORNEYS 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) 703-4682 http://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 good

Ahh. 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 CONFIDENTIAL

ATTORNEYS ONLY



Credit: wallclimber

Recent Techrights' Posts

SLAPP Censorship - Part 58 Out of 200: 5RB and Brett Wilson LLP Helped Garrett and Graveley Make Equivalent of GAFAM NDAs Superficially 'Enforceable' in the UK, Using Threats
laziness results in many hours and high lawyers' fees
 
Slop is an Addiction, Its Users Find It Addictive
please do not tolerate people who slop
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part VII - Secrecy at the EPO (Regarding Cocaine and Nepotism) Has Undermined Trust in Management
If Europe's second-largest institution is run by the "Alicante Mafia", does this mean that other key European institutions are "Mafia"?
SLAPP Censorship - Part 59 Out of 200: Mentioning the Fact Alex Graveley Arrested and Charged for Strangulation in Texas is "Reckless" and "Malicious", According to His 'Hired Guns' in London
it was framed as "malicious"
Links 27/04/2026: Strikes, Corruption in Spain (Spanish PM Sanchez' Wife), and YouTuber Faces Jail Time
Links for the day
Gemini Links 27/04/2026: Gopher Catch-up, Year of Contentment, and Path to Freedom
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, April 26, 2026
IRC logs for Sunday, April 26, 2026
Journalistic Malpractice: Helping Microsoft Paint 'Voluntary' Layoffs (Before PIPs) as "Buyouts"
What does this tell us about today's media?
The Man IBMers Regard or Already See as Likely Successor of Krishna (or Next CEO of IBM) is a Slop Fanatic
How dangerously misguided
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part VI - Management of the European Patent Office (EPO) Covered Up Cocaine Use, Even Colleagues Not Informed
the self-described "fu--ing president"
Who Controls Fedora? IBM and GAFAM.
Don't for a moment believe that IBM understands GNU/Linux. We are quite certain nobody in IBM's Board of Directors uses it.
State of Slop About GNU/Linux
As the incentive to publish is reduced (competing with slop is no fun), the effort/money invested in stories goes down
Links 26/04/2026: Korean Inflation, GLP-1 Drugs Linked to Cognitive Impairment, Lithuania's Public Broadcaster LRT Besieged
Links for the day
Hopefully Smooth Sailing in OS Upgrade
There are some contingencies at hand
Links 25/04/2026: "Horrible Economics of AI Are Starting to Come Crashing Down", More Restrictions Placed on Social Control Media
Links for the day
Getting Aggressive Suggestive of Loss - Part IV - Shutting Down My Existence
Would anyone out there tolerate such messages sent from burner accounts?
Gemini Links 26/04/2026: Gemini Movie Database (or GeminiMDB) and Star Trek III
Links for the day
Weeks Before Linux Removed Over 100,000 Lines of Code Due to Slop 'Bug Reports' Microsoft Paid 'Linux' Foundation to Advance Slop in the Name of 'Security'
What can possible go wrong? Both for security and for stability.
Tracking Ages of People
To stay "safe" tell us your age
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, April 25, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, April 25, 2026
"A single witness shall not rise up against a person regarding any wrongdoing or any sin that he commits; on the testimony of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed." (Deuteronomy 19-21)
The spouse of Garrett repeatedly points out that Garrett can barely code or can only do so very poorly
Rust People Sabotage Stability for the Sake of a Falsely-Promised 'Security'
Set aside severe performance issues, poor handling of "edge cases", general bugs, lack of compatibility, and even crashes
SLAPP Censorship - Part 57 Out of 200: 5RB and Brett Wilson LLP Made the Garrett and Graveley Particulars of Claims a Lot Like Photocopies!
They seem very much irritated that I speak about this
Huge Strike at the European Patent Office (EPO) This Coming Friday (May 1st)
International Worker’s day
Links 25/04/2026: Nokia Wins Embargo in Kangaroo Court Where Judges Are Salaried Nokia Staff (UPC), Allison Pearson Defamation Case (UK) Succeeds, Smokey Robinson and "Puff Daddy" (US) Fail
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/04/2026: Weekly Echoes, Gemtext Tables, and Using Offpunk
Links for the day
Corporate Media Did Not Specify What Microsoft Means by "Buyouts" (Layoffs), It May Be Hardly Different From Severance
Time will tell, but investigative journalism hardly exists anymore, so we won't hold our breath
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part V - "Diversity" and "Inclusion" at EPO Means Sleeping With Sister of "Cocaine Communication Manager" and Making Them Millionaires
Remember that top applicants or key stakeholders of the EPO are already complaining about a lack of quality
Links 25/04/2026: Fake GAFAM Valuations (Gripping the Market Based on False Accounting), "Evidence Isn't Just for Research", and "Putin Defends Mobile Internet Outages"
Links for the day
Dr. Andy Farnell on Why Calling Slop or Chaff "Hey Hi" (AI) Harm Us All, Except for "Ten or Twenty Rich Industrialists"
"words to avoid"
Internet Trolls Likely Trying to Distract From the Demise of IBM, Problems With Red Hat
there seems to be trolling online aimed at suppressing discussion
Debian Upgrade Coming Up (Soon)
Yesterday we contacted the datacentre staff about it
Getting Aggressive Suggestive of Loss - Part III - Threats From Burner Accounts Formally Treated as a Crime
Countries that cannot preserve freedom from self-censorship are countries where free press ultimately cannot prevail
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, April 24, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, April 24, 2026
Gemini Links 25/04/2026: 3.4k+ Capsules, Microsoft Layoffs, Call for Nuclear Disarmament, "Internet is Sad and Lonely"
Links for the day