Sun Sues Over Java, Nader Attacks Ms, Java Religion, The Flying E

The Continuing Crisis

•As was predicted 6 months ago by MSBC columnist Jim McGregeor, Sun filed suit in federal court Tuesday against Microsoft over its treatment of Java. The behemoth was required in its Java license to make all software using Sun's technology be compatable with all other software using it, regardless of operating system or platform. The suit seeks an injunction stopping Microsoft from using the "Java Compatible" logo or claiming its products are compatible with other products developed using Java technology, Sun said in a news release. An anonymous Microsoft spokesman said "Based on the accounts we have seen, Sun's claims are outrageous." The spokesman said Microsoft had not yet seen the lawsuit, but would issue a more detailed statement later. This is likely going to cut Microsoft down a few notches..

•"Consumer advocate" Ralph Nader is holding a conference in Washington, D.C., next month to discuss 'Microsoft and its Global Strategies.' Nader has denounced Microsoft's "intimidating tactics" and said he is opening a campaign to educate the public about the costs of the software company's "monopolistic techniques." "We need to have a coherent appraisal of the monopolistic techniques they're using," Mr. Nader said. "John D. Rockefeller wanted to dominate oil, but Microsoft wants it all -- you name it -- cable, media, banking, car dealerships." He said speakers at his conference would include himself, Sun CEO Scott McNealy, former FTC Chairman Christine Varney, antitrust lawyer Gary Reback and Roberta Katz, Netscape general counsel. We just hope Nader is much more successful at crippling Microsoft than he has been at running for president all these years..

•Microsoft stated late last week that over 1.2 million copies of IEIEO4 had been downloaded from its web site in the first two days of release. No figures were given for the 20something third-party mirror sites. On top of that, the behemoth claimed IE4 CDs had been mailed to 200,000 people who prepaid a $5 'processing fee.' No figures were available, however, for the number of people who downloaded the overweight browser and then chose to actually use it insted of something better.

•Monday during his keynote speech to 6000 executives and analysts at ITxpo, an annual conference sponsored by the Gartner Group, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates said ongoing federal scruitiny of his company "makes it a little tougher" to buy out other companies. Gates was referring to the US Justice Department's repeated investigations of his company, especially the 1995 block of a $2 billion Intuit takeover. Analysts say that if Microsoft and Gates weren't worried about the government, they would have bought much larger shares (if not all) of Comcast and Apple this summer. Gates made no apologies for his company's agressive tactics, stating his customers will benefit in the end. We have reinterpreted his statement to mean "our customers will get it in the REAR end".

•At the same same conference, Gates was quoted as saying "Java is supposed to be an open standard, and yet one company owns the rights to all the licensing." Billy was, apparently, ignoring the fact that not only does one company own and control the Windows standard, they don't even try to pretend it is an open one. Gates also said "What we take issue with is the idea that people should rewrite all their apps in Java because of some religion," failing to mention how many rewrote all their apps a decade ago over the Windows religion, or two years ago over the 32 bit Windows religion. That, coincidentally, is where most of Mr. Gates' $38 billion fortune came from.

•Wednesday a giant "Internet Explorer e" that had been used as a decoration in Microsoft's IEIEO4 launch party the night before was found on the front door of Netscape's world headquarters. Apparently some Microsoft executives loaded the giant "e" on the back of a flatbed truck early Wednesday morning and drove it from the party's location in San Francisco to Netscape headquarters in nearby Mountain View Ca. It isn't known who ordered the "e" delivered to Netscape, but there are reports that the president of a certain Seattle-area company known for its major-media-brand Web sites was seen among the crew riding in the back of the flatbed truck.

Microsoft Stock Track

MSFT Stock Price^*139

Bill Gates' Worth$39.2 Billion

*As Of Closing, 10/08/97
Thanks to Bill Gates Personal Wealth Clock.

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