Source: Sun Not Likely To Join WS-I

Sun Microsystems IBM Microsoft

The source, who requested anonymity, said e-mails showing that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates approved WS-I plans only because Sun was not a founding member, in addition to evidence that both Microsoft and IBM originally voted against Sun joining the board, indicate that the group likely was conceived to exclude Sun.

Sun fears that "Microsoft is using this to stick it to us" and keep Sun out of the Web services interoperability loop, said the source.

In an e-mail message by Gates, introduced during testimony by Microsoft Senior Vice President Jim Allchin at the trial, Gates indicated that Microsoft would move forward with WS-I only if Sun was not involved in the launch.

"I can live with this if we have the positioning clearly in our favor. In particular, Sun not being one of the movers/announcers/founding members," Gates wrote.

id
unit-1659132512259
type
Sponsored post

Still, Simon Phipps, chief technology evangelist at Sun, said the company is maintaining a "watch and see" attitude about joining WS-I and is considering IBM's recent outreach encouraging the board to give Sun a seat.

"We're going to treat IBM's invitation in good faith and see whether there's an opportunity for Sun to join WS-I," said Phipps.

Just before the evidence from the trial came to light, IBM proposed a motion to expand the WS-I board, implying that Sun could be invited to join. So far, the group has not decided whether to approve the motion.

The WS-I was founded in February 2002 by a group of vendors, led by Microsoft and IBM, in an effort to promote Web services in the industry by developing best practices, testing and sample applications around "basic" Web standards such as XML, SOAP, UDDI and WSDL.

The group's membership now includes a who's who list of technology leaders such as Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, BEA Systems, SAP, Intel and Cisco Systems.

David Chao, vice president of sales and marketing at Navidec, a Greenwood Village, Colo.-based solution provider, said it's "imperative" that Sun joins the WS-I and any other effort to promote Web services compatibility.

"For an operator like us that relies on open standards, it's like not going to your own wedding," said Chao. "Anyone that thinks that all they're ever going to buy is Sun hardware running Sun ONE [software running a Unix box on their desk,that's just not reality. The reality is there is no heterogeneous [IT environment."