Sun's Java jigsaw
special report Sun Microsystems faces daunting odds in its new effort to solve a puzzle: how to make profits from Java that reflect the software's wide popularity.
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By Stephen Shankland, Wylie Wong and Mike Ricciuti By all accounts, Java has revolutionized the software business in the seven years since Sun Microsystems invented the programming
language.
While Java has solved countless problems for programmers, however, it has presented Sun with a puzzle that continues to confound the company today: how to make profits from the software that reflect its wide popularity. As Sun presides over this week's annual JavaOne conference--traditionally a showcase for cutting-edge technologies and a rallying point for Microsoft bashers--the company will be maneuvering against others within the Java camp to take market share that it sees as its rightful bounty. But its rivals, which have capitalized on Java more than Sun in many ways, will not give up this lucrative ground without a fight. | ||||||||
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DAY 1 The goal: Sun looks for payoff to Java addiction The company must overcome its long subordination of Java as a stepchild to its hardware, which has allowed rivals to profit more. DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4 |
One-on-one with Scott McNealy
Listen to the entire Scott McNealy interview