A proposal being considered by a key Web services organization could pave the way for Sun Microsystems to join on equal footing with rivals Microsoft and IBM. But continued political battling could sidetrack the effort.
The board of directors of the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I), an organization founded by IBM and Microsoft to promote Web services, voted unanimously on Monday to create a committee to develop a process for electing two new board members.
The proposal to add the new members was put forth by IBM last month. IBM officials said Sun should be offered higher status within the WS-I because its Java software is expected to be a popular foundation for Web services. IBM is also a leading seller of Java-based software.
Sun, which is not part of the organization, declined an earlier invitation to join the WS-I as a contributing member, lobbying instead for more influential "founding board member" status, so it can help set the group"s agenda.
The organization hopes to promote Web services by ensuring that software from many technology makers is compatible. Nearly every software maker has touted Web services as the future of software, allowing companies to more easily build software that can interact via the Internet.