Intel sips Java as Microsoft simmers

By Richard Morochove

First published May 29, 1997

Intel likes Java. That simple fact is straining the usually cozy relationship between the chip-maker and Microsoft, its most important software ally.

There’s an eye-to-eye showdown coming that could force Microsoft to increase its support of the Java programming language, even though it may hurt sales of Windows. If Microsoft blinks, software consumers can look forward to more choice and lower-cost applications.

It’s no secret that Microsoft doesn’t like Java. MS Windows has the largest share of the operating systems used by the world’s personal computers. Applications written in Java don’t require Windows in order to run. So Microsoft sees Java as a possible threat to its Windows dominance.

Java applications are an outgrowth of the explosive growth in the use of the Internet, although the language was originally designed by Sun Microsystems for a computing device that would sit atop your TV. Many of the dazzling effects you see on Web pages are courtesy of Java . Both Netscape Navigator and MS Internet Explorer now run Java applets.

However, Java also runs on many different computing platforms, such as Apple’s Macintosh and IBM’s OS/2.

Microsoft is putting its efforts behind Java alternatives such as ActiveX. True, Microsoft does provide some Java tools, but these appear aimed at getting developers to use them to write Windows applications.

Intel, on the other hand, is committing its resources to ensure Intel processors run Java applications faster than ever. Cranking up the speed is one way to ensure that users of Java apps on the Internet and corporate Intranets will prefer computers with Intel inside.

So Intel licensed Java from Sun and optimized Java Virtual Machine (JVM) software for Intel processors. The revamped JVM software boosts the speed of Java applications by two to three times and is included in Sun’s Java Development Kit.

Intel recently published benchmark results that show its processors offer the fastest and most efficient way to run Java. According to Intel’s figures, a computer with a 100 MHz. Pentium processor runs the CaffeineMark Java performance standard about twice as fast as a Sun SPARCstation 5. The PowerWave, a Power Macintosh clone running a 150 MHz. PowerPC chip, runs about 10 per cent faster than the SPARCstation.

Microsoft knows the significance of Intel’s support. For years Intel worked closely with Microsoft to add special instructions to optimize the execution of Windows software code by its processors. This informal partnership has dramatically boosted Windows performance in today’s computers.

So you can imagine the dent in the ceiling above Bill Gates’ desk after he learned of reports Intel will go further and incorporate Java instructions directly in a new microprocessor, possibly as early as this summer. Intel won’t comment on unannounced processors, but in a white paper on its Web site, "Java and the Intel Architecture," it offers some tantalizing hints.

Intel’s Java white paper takes pains to discuss how the company recently added special instructions to increase the performance of multimedia applications. There are just a few software applications now available that take advantage of Intel’s MMX technology, but more are coming.

What’s the direct connection between MMX and Java? Nothing. By using MMX as an example in a discussion of how Intel intends to make Java run faster, the company offers a clue to its future direction. In addition to its work on optimized software, the white paper says Intel is "exploring other opportunities for enhanced performance and capabilities." Now that Intel has done its work on the software, the processor hardware is the next logical move.

In part, Intel needs to make this move for competitive reasons, otherwise it risks being overtaken by other chip-makers. For example, Sun Microsystems is working on an Ultra SPARC chip that will include Java instructions.

Intel’s support for Java spells good news for the so-called SINO Java alliance of Sun Microsystems, IBM, Netscape and Oracle. This group is determined to loosen Microsoft’s lock on the software used on desktop computers.

In addition to the push from Intel, Microsoft is being squeezed by its software competitors. While Microsoft drags its heels, IBM-owned Lotus Development is creating Kona, Java-based versions of Lotus SmartSuite applications. Corel Corp. is rolling out WordPerfect Suite 8 and trumpeting its ability to incorporate Java applets in any document. These products compete directly with MS Office, the best-selling suite of applications that brings in billions to Microsoft.

While it’s difficult to overestimate Microsoft’s influence on the software market, the company can’t operate in a vacuum forever and ignore Java. If competitive pressures continue to build, they will eventually force Microsoft to embrace Java.

If this happens, it will give Apple a new lease on life. Apple has been hard hit by the departure of many former Macintosh software developers who now create applications for Windows. If the developers write for Java, their applications will run on Intel, PowerPC, and other processors.

Now that Intel has lined up behind Java, Microsoft is the only major player on the other side. A win for Java would be a significant breach in the Great Wall of Windows. It’s up to Emperor Gates to decide if he will continue to fend off the Java hordes or welcome them into his empire. CW

Microsoft Canada's response: Microsoft and Java