Open letter to the Java development community from Rod Smith, VP Java Software, IBM

December 15, 1999

To the Java development community,

There has been a lot of discussion this past week regarding Java, IBM's relationship with Sun, Sun's Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) brand name, and our commitment to industry standards. We've heard some of you say that you are looking for details of what's going on. I want to take this opportunity to clarify IBM's position in these areas.

There is an important issue at stake here: the freedom to develop in an environment that will remain open, available, and unified. Without a stable base of open standards, software developers will find their move into the world of e-business complicated.

IBM's support for open standards hasn't changed -- it is the same as it was four years ago, as it was six months ago, and as it was last week. As a company, we are deeply committed to industry standards that best support the multi-platform, multi-vendor and dynamic environment that the Internet has enabled. Simply put, we believe that e-business is all about "cooperating on standards and competing on implementation." This can only occur in the context of true, cross-industry commitment to these standards.

We do not support Sun's decision to withdraw from the standards process. We had hoped that this second attempt to create a Java standard, via ECMA (European Computer Manufacturing Association), would proceed rapidly and secure a Java standard for the software developer community. We believe a standards process managed by a single vendor will not work in the long term. Only a vendor-neutral standards body can provide the stability developers need to deliver the next generation of e-business solutions.

So what does this mean specifically regarding Sun's J2EE? It's actually pretty straightforward. IBM will continue to implement the specifications for the Java server APIs and to ensure compatibility with the technology specified in Sun's J2EE. IBM will not, at this time, support Sun's branding strategy. We're going to do the code, but not use the J2EE brand.

Still concerned? Let me tell you some things that should ease your mind: IBM contributed to the definition of more than 80 percent of the API specifications in Sun's J2EE, including Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), JavaServer Pages (JSP), Java Servlet, Java Interface Definition Language (IDL), Java Database Connectivity API (JDBC), Java Message Service (JMS), Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI), Java Transaction API (JTA), Java Transaction Services (JTS), and RMI-IIOP. We're going to carry on supporting this stuff -- we helped develop it, and our customers and the developer community demand it. It's just the right thing to do.

In fact, we're delivering today. IBM has already delivered EJB 1.0, Servlet 2.1, JSP 1.0, JTS/JTA 1.0, a subset of JDBC 2.0, JNDI 1.1, RMI-IIOP 1.0, Security 1.0 and XML in IBM's WebSphere Application Server Family (Standard Edition, Advanced Edition, Enterprise Edition) V3.0 -- with plans to provide full support in 2000. In addition, IBM's MQSeries, SecureWay, and DB2 support other key services in the specification including JMS and JDBC.

With the largest Java technical team in the industry, IBM will continue to deliver fully compatible enterprise Java implementations as new enhancements appear. IBM will continue to work with the community of companies, including Sun, that is involved in the evolution of this technology. IBM's position on Sun's brand name requirements is independent of these commitments. It's important to keep this in perspective.

We are committed to listening to the industry -- developers, partners, and customers -- and keeping focus on what's really important. We want to make sure your concerns and questions are addressed. Please use the developerWorks feedback mechanism to send us a note; put "Java Standards" in the subject line. We'll try to address any additional concerns at a later date on the site in some type of forum, whether that be an FAQ or a Webcast or an additional letter to you.

Java is a great technology and we are firmly behind it. We will continue to work through this with Sun and others, and you can rely on the technology. Let's keep this communication going.

Thanks for your time and consideration,

Rod Smith
Vice President, Java Software, IBM