“…Microsoft has apparently already handed the standard for the
language to ECMA… Sun toyed with ECMA for some time after its
failed attempt to persuade the International Standards Organisation
(ISO) to place its imprimatur on Java. But Sun finally pulled out
of the discussions… Although that seems like a coup for
Microsoft, it will take rather more to persuade the world that a
genuine standardisation has been achieved. Many will remember that
ActiveX was handed to the Open Group, but no significant standard
development followed.”
“There is strength and weakness too in the reliance on XML.
Microsoft is looking to play down the requirement for cross
platform development and emphasise instead cross platform data
exchange. C# depends heavily on XML to achieve Internet
communications. The trouble with XML is that while there is
standardisation for the principles of the markup language, each
application depends on a lower level of detail.”
“There can be little doubt that it is the latest lever to
encourage enterprise adoption of Windows. While the emphasis is on
open communications based on XML, Microsoft’s aim will be to ensure
that Windows is the easiest platform on which to implement.
This aim will have to be compromised at least enough to make legacy
integration a possibility. Exactly where it will lead is hard to
tell, especially as we may need to factor in the possibility of a
split Microsoft. At present, Java has a very strong lead as the
language of choice for new enterprise developments, and will be
hard to displace.”