We"re receiving credible reports that Microsoft will shortly unveil Java language support to .NET, alongside its home-brewed Java clone C#, and VB, in a project that goes under the internal name of "Java.NET". Sun and Microsoft have been sparring over Java for several years. Microsoft"s foray signals a shift in its approach to the Java community, but risks re-opening a fresh round of litigation. Right now, Microsoft currently offers its Jump tools to encourage developers to migrate from Java to C#. But the Java language appears to have a fairly unstoppable momentum, and is predicted to set to surpass C++ in popularity: so it"s become a constituency Microsoft can"t afford to ignore.
The Beast"s ultimate goal is to get its .NET platform adopted, so welcoming Java developers into the camp simply makes good business sense.