Sun Execs Unplugged: Java best-positioned to capitalize on 'converged' developers

While it may be one of the oldest buzzwords in the book, convergence is very much on the minds of Sun executives here at JavaOne 2007, particularly as both Microsoft and Adobe are gunning and gunning hard for one of Sun's most competitive strongholds: that of Java in the market of cross-platform runtime environments.

Overall, when it comes to cross-platform runtimes -- translation technologies that make it possible for developers to target multiple platforms and devices (Windows, Linux, handsets, desktops, etc.) with a single "tree of source code" (the concept is often called write once, run anywhere), Sun's Java probably has the biggest global footprint (if you don't count HTML). Not only is there a Java Runtime (JRE) for virtually every operating system that matters, JRE's can be found across of gamut of device types from desktops and servers to mobile phones and set-top boxes. Meanwhile, the primary foothold for Adobe's cross-platform runtime -- the one for Flash -- is on the destkop where end-users experience a majority the so-called "rich Internet" experiences that have so far been "published" to date.

For the developers of those experiences, be they the Web site for a new movie or the latest rich user interface to eBay, Adobe's Flash is unquestionably the go-to technology. Developers rarely give it a second thought. Java was never the province of the creative developer, especially because of how unapproachable it was. And until Microsoft launched Silverlight, targeting multiple end-user platforms with one body of .Net code (the way Flash and Java developers could write once and run anywhere) wasn't really an option. While it was unquestionably the right move for Microsoft, Silverlight probably has the biggest come-from-behind task ahead itself in terms of market penetration, particularly on non-Windows (non-.NET) devices.

What all three companies clearly recognize though is that the write once, run anywhere market should no longer be segmented into one runtime for "creative developers" (Flash's stronghold) and another for "business process" (Java and .Net's strongholds). Furthermore, target platform fragmentation (eg: once set of capabilities for the desktop, another for mobile, etc.) is less than ideal for developers. With no single solution provider credibly having all the bases covered yet, Adobe, Microsoft, and Sun have, within months of each other, each launched a strategy to hit the equivalent of a developer convergence grand slam. Adobe is, with its Apollo platform, seeking to unify its strongholds in the Portable Document Format (PDF) and Flash markets while looking to not only support business process, but also to penetrate other form factors such as handsets. Microsoft, with .Net's strengths in business process programming, but primarily for Windows-based desktops and servers (and, to a limited extent mobile handsets) is not only targeting creative developers with Silverlight, but other platforms as well.

With today's announcement of JavaFX at JavaOne 2007, Sun is addressing the primary marketplace weaknesses of Java. Although not a target the way Flash is for creative developers, Sun hopes that the JavaFX scripting language will make the Java Runtime a more viable target for rich internet applications (RIAs) and experiences. Winning the hearts and minds of developers that view Flash as the go-to tech for those types of applications seems like an impossible task for both Microsoft and Sun. But, in my video and podcast interview with Jonathan Schwartz (the podcast is available through the Flash-based player above, the video through the Flash-based player below.... what does that use of Flash tell you?), the company's CEO see's the prevalence of a common, converged Java stack (the other part of the JavaFX announcement) across all devices as difficult bait not to take for developers seeking the broadest distribution for their business process apps and RIAs.

According to Schwartz, the other element of technology convergence playing a key role is how Sun is pushing the Standard Edition of Java (JSE) -- the edition most commonly associated with desktops and notebooks -- into devices that were previously incapable of running JavaSE. For example, handsets and set top boxes. Schwartz cited Moore's Law as the enabling factor that finally allowed "desktop Java" to fit into something like a smartphone, thereby expanding the potential market for JSE-targeted applications. Prior to this JSE-everywhere aspect of the JavaFX announcements, coding for the Java runtime often meant writing one set of code for JSE and another for Java ME, the smaller foot-printed edition of Java found in Java-enabled mobile devices.

For years now (in their public appearances), Schwartz and other Sun executives haven't minced words about the importance that cell phone will play in the delivery of services to end users. They often talk about how the number of people roaming the world with cell phones completely dwarfs the number of people using desktop and notebook computers. In line with that vision, you can clearly see how Sun is looking to take advantage of its own strengths as it looks to tap the waves of convergence that are afoot. If for example, the biggest target for applications of any sort are mobile users, Sun has a big advantage in terms of its existing relationships with mobile operators and phone manufacturers. From a marketshare perspective, Java is the 800 lb gorilla in terms of runtimes that have penetrated the mobile space. Not only has the technology (the JME version) been battle-tested, it has proven to be secure as well -- an issue that will play a role as Adobe and Microsoft seek to loosen the incumbent's grip (again, we're talking about the mobile space).

Of the three companies all vying for a converged market, Schwartz believes that the current global footprint of Java across devices and operating systems along with Java's open source nature makes it the leading candidate over Adobe's Apollo and Microsoft's Silverlight. Sun's Executive vice president for software Richard Green agrees -- telling me as much in an interview that we videotaped separately (also below) from the one with Jonathan Schwartz (Green's keynote at JavaOne can be seen here). That could be the case. On the other hand, with Adobe, Microsoft, and Sun coming from their relative areas of strength, the one equalizing factor may end up being Moore's Law. If for example, Sun can now fit Java SE into handsets in a way that it could not before, whose to say that hanset manufacturers won't soon be able to fit all three runtimes in their devices (something that desktops already do with grace). In other words, for developers, it may not be either/or.

Whereas my interiew with Rich Green focuses on the nuts and bolts of the JavaFX announcements, I asked Schwartz for a pulse reading on a few other fronts that are important to Sun. He may have stepped into the role as CEO last year, but Sun has been having its fair share of challenges on Wall Street. I asked Schwartz if he's feeling any heat given that some of his major initiatives in the areas of company restructuring, open sourcing its intellectual property, open standards, and partnering with Intel have yet to combine for the sort of explosive growth some stockholders are probably hoping for. I also asked Schwartz how bright the future of an infrastructure company like Sun can be if many of its traditional customers begin to turn to Internet services like Salesforce.com and Google for their IT (in other words, they may not need Sun servers and storage themselves). Also, given the hay the company makes over its energy-conscious Niagara technology, I asked Schwartz if the industry needs better benchmarks for measuring how green a system is so that buyers can more easily compare offerings from different companies like Sun, Intel, and AMD. Here are both videos (the Schwartz one is first):