Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday that it would carry Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Java programming language in the Windows operating system nine months longer than first planned, to give customers more time to transition between the software platforms.
Originally, Microsoft had said it would only carry Java in Windows until the end of 2003, under an agreement that allows programs written in the Java programming language to run on top of Windows. Microsoft and Sun said in a joint statement that they would extend that by 10 months to Sept. 30, 2004.
"We've put our differences aside since we've heard from customers that they would like a little more time as they are in the process of migrating," said Chris Jones, Microsoft's vice president of the Windows client division.
The two companies said that one of the main issues concerning customers and software vendors is the ability to preserve software security during the transition so that hackers won't get a chance to exploit software flaws.
News source: Reuters.com
