MICROSOFT CASE Court ruling requires new Java in Windows

A competitor says Microsoft has been shipping outdated versions of its software with Windows.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. plans to appeal a federal court ruling requiring it to include its rival's updated Java programming language in its Windows operating system.
The ruling Monday gave Sun Microsystems a victory as it pursues its private antitrust suit against the software giant.
Microsoft spokesman Jim Desler said the company needs to review the details of the decision, but initially plans to appeal it to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.
Microsoft was disappointed in the decision by U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz, said Desler, adding that it was "premature" to comment on when the latest version of Java will be included in Windows.
Sun argued during a three-day hearing earlier this month that Microsoft has gained an unfair advantage by shipping Windows -- used by more than 90 percent of the world's personal computers -- with an outdated version of Java that's inconsistent for its users.
"In the final analysis, the public interest in this case rests in assuring that free enterprise be genuinely free, untainted by the effects of antitrust violations," Motz wrote in his ruling.
What's Java?
Java is designed to let programmers write software to run on all types of computers, whether they use Windows, Apple's Mac OS or some other operating system. Users often encounter Java without knowing it when they visit Web sites that feature games or other applications.
Sun attorneys argued that software developers are turning to Microsoft's .NET platform instead of gambling on Microsoft's spotty distribution of Java.
Microsoft attorneys countered that at least half the world's software developers use Java.
Motz wrote that if Microsoft's system was to remain dominant, "it should be because of .NET's superior qualities, not because Microsoft leveraged its PC monopoly to create market conditions in which it is unfairly advantaged."
"Competition is not only about winning the prize; its deeper value lies in giving all those who choose to compete an opportunity to demonstrate their worth," Motz wrote.