Microsoft Clarifies Intentions to Retire JVM-Based Products

The new D-Day for a phase-out of a number of Microsoft's tried-and-true products is Dec. 23. Microsoft cites the Sun Java suit as the cause.

Four days after posting a note to a community site specifying its intent to retire a number of its flagship products as a result of the Sun Java lawsuit, Microsoft Corp. has decided to extend the cut-off date by a week. On Monday, Microsoft posted a new note to its Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) community site, stating that the company is now planning to ax certain products from all Microsoft sales channels starting Dec. 23. The products targeted for phase-out are those that embed Microsofts Java Virtual Machine technology.
MSDN Subscriber Downloads program manager Andy Boyd had posted a note on Dec. 4 stating that Microsoft intended to remove Windows 98, SQL Server 7 and a number of versions of Office 2000 from MSDN downloads and all other Microsoft sales channels. He cited Microsofts legal settlement with Sun Microsystems over Java as the impetus for the move. Boyd also amended the list of products that Microsoft intends to phase out in his updated posting. The Dec. 4 note was ambiguous as to which versions of NT 4 Microsoft plans to phase out this year. The December 8 note explains that Microsoft intends to ax the NT 4.0 Terminal Server and Option Pack releases only. In both the Dec. 4 and 8 notes, Boyd listed a number of products that Microsoft intends to update with a new version of Java in order to avoid having to ax them. The December 8 note corrected the original list. Microsofts official position is that it will issue new Java-enabled versions of NT 4 Workstation, Server and Enterprise Server; Internet Acceleration Server 2000; Small Business Server 2000; Publisher 2002; and Office Professional with FrontPage. Read the full story on Microsoft Watch.