Microsoft and Sun: The Morning After.

The article discusses the attempt by Sun Microsystems and Microsoft Corp. to work together on interoperability after their clash over standards. Former Sun Microsystems' executive George Paolini dismissed the notion that there will be any real compatibility between Java and .Net at the application layer. Past agreements between Sun and Microsoft on XML and Web services specifications have been fleeting at best. Iona chief technology officer Eric Newcomer believes that interoperability between Microsoft and Java platforms has to be viewed entirely in the context of Web services. Fundamentally different views of standards must be reconciled. The bone of contention is that Microsoft reserves the right to license specifications. Sun's big opportunity is to compete with Microsoft's server offerings as the backbone to manage Windows desktops, according to Greg DeMichillie, senior analyst at Directions on Microsoft Corp. Sun doubtlessly has loftier plans. DeMichillie sees Sun in the midst of a painful transition into a software company, using a cash infusion from Microsoft to help make it happen. The $2 billion handshake might be viewed as a sellout or as a sad inevitability for Sun.