Java Gets Remake Microsoft-Style - Microsoft's J/Direct initiative - Company Business and Marketing

Some see it as Microsoft's diverging from the Java Pack. Others see it as bolstering the capabilities of Java. One thing is certain, Microsoft's J/Direct initiative unveiled recently is going to cause much debate in the Java development business.

Citing what the company refers to as the shortcomings of the Java middleware API, which fails to exploit the Windows operating systems, Microsoft's J/Direct initiative adds direct access to Win32 APIs in the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The J/Direct initiative incorporates the Win32 API into Internet Explorer V4.0 and will add similar capabilities to future versions of windows 95, Windows NT and Internet Information Server.

"J/Direct eliminates the barrier that has kept developers from experiencing both the productivity benefits of the Java programming language and the power of the Win32 API," maintains David Cole, vice president of Microsoft's Internet client and collaboration division.

Microsoft points to Java's lack of complete sound support, missing direct hardware interfaces and lack of support for a wide variety of fonts as some of the deficiencies that led the company to develop J/Direct. According to Microsoft, developers will now be able to take full advantage of all that Windows has to offer.

J/Direct enables developers to circumvent the Java API middleware layer and directly call on native Win32 APIs and DLLs from the Microsoft virtual machine. J/Direct maps Java data types to C data types and converts pointers, strings and structures that are not supported by Java, alleviating the need for developers to write their own bridging code between Sun's Java Native Interface and Microsoft's Raw Native Interface. System libraries and DLLs do not need to be aware that Java routines are calling for them, and J/Direct handles all garbage collection duties as well.

What Microsoft has provided with J/Direct is contrary to Sun's 100% Java initiative, which is aimed at extending the language across all popular platforms. In contrast, J/Direct enables developers to create Java applets that function only on Windows-based machines. It appears that Microsoft has found a way to leverage what was supposed to be an open application programming language to suit its own needs -- and to bring developers from the Java camp into the Windows camp.

David Moffat, a multi-media and Java developer working as a contractor at SAS Institute Inc. (Cary, N.C.), feels that Microsoft is forcing developers to declare their allegiance to the Windows platform instead of the Java platform: "What Microsoft fears most, and works to undermine, is the truth: Java is not just a language, but also a platform. As Java gains functionality and popularity, the underlying OS on a machine shrinks in significance." Moffat urges developers to abandon Windows (as well as other operating systems) as a development target platform and to stick with Java.

"From the view of Java purists, this is a total un-Java thing," says International Data Corp. (Framingham, Mass.) analyst Tom Harris, who notes that the Microsoft move to leverage Java more effectively with Windows is completely predictable: "They want you to have full access to exploit the power of their systems. If you can generate Java apps, and can get to the level of system APIs, you can do a more complete job, while even managing to mix in your favorite JavaBeans or ActiveX Controls." While Microsoft's latest move may put Java purists in a tizzy, Harris says that it is a nonissue for companies already focused on the Windows platform.

Harris also views J/Direct as an attempt by Microsoft to put Java on a different level: "They are moving Java to the level of the language, repositioning it as an application development language rather than a system unto itself. While the purists are saying one thing in an attempt to get Java established as a standard, Java is still in an early stage of its life. As in any evolution, there are many possibilities. We'll have to wait and see how the Darwinian forces effect an outcome."

In a related move, Microsoft bolstered its Java development arsenal by acquiring Cooper and Peters Inc. (Boulder, Colo.), a developer of object-oriented user interface frameworks for Java and Smalltalk. Cooper and Peters' Eye-Opener component suite for Java includes a full range of Windows 95 controls -- including notebooks, tree controls, rich text, grid controls and spin buttons -- and Java applications for word processing, graphing and spreadsheets. The suite is expected to be leveraged by Microsoft in forthcoming editions of its Application Foundation Classes.

"With nearly a decade of object-oriented design experience, Cooper and Peters brings a proven expertise that can help extend the Application Foundation Classes' lead as the most comprehensive foundation classes for Java," says John Ludwig, vice president of Microsoft's Internet client and collaboration division.

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