By the end of this year, the JVM will be distributed as part of IE 4.0 for Unix; Windows CE also supported
Orlando, Fla. — Microsoft plans to make its Java virtual machine available for the Unix and Windows CE platforms by the end of this year, said a company official at the TechEd developers conference here Monday.
Microsoft will make its Java virtual machine for the Unix platform available running on the top five Unix variants based on market share, said James Plamondon of the company’s developer relations group. However, he declined to name the specific versions of Unix that will be supported.
Microsoft plans to distribute the Java virtual machine as part of Internet Explorer 4.0 for Unix, which is due out by the end of the year, Plamondon said. It will also look for marketing deals with Unix vendors, he said, speculating that Hewlett-Packard and Digital may be good candidates.
Plamondon added that he doubts that Sun Microsystems will ship Microsoft’s version of the Java virtual machine. He also declined to delve into specifics about Microsoft’s plans to deliver its virtual machine for other operating systems such as OS/2, MVS, and OS/400.
