Originally a computer workstation builder, Sun Microsystems was founded in 1982 by four 27-year-olds, and five years later it was a $500 million company. It succeeded almost immediately by developing operating systems for big-name clients like AT&T. Sun's current joint ventures with Oracle, IBM, and Netscape have further solidified its position as an industry leader. Just another Silicon Valley success story, you say? Maybe - but where similar companies like Apple Computer and Silicon Graphics are now tales of sputtering organizations lagging behind emerging technologies, Sun's Java computer language, launched in May 1995, has the potential to revolutionize computing technology. The strength of Java lies in the fact that, unlike other languages, it works on any platform. Even King Bill of Microsoft is worried.

Not a drink, not a computer language - a religion

Sun introduced a computing platform called Java in May 1995 as a way to animate features on web pages. But in the summer of 1995, industry observers began suggesting that if Java the concept were to prove viable, there would no longer be a need for the operating systems and concomitant software with which Microsoft captivates the computing world. The years following Java's anointing as the Next Big Thing have been heady ones for Sun and its shareholders, with rampant talk of "revolution" and "paradigm shift." Meanwhile, Sun has shunned the Wintel hegemony, continuing to produce its own microprocessors (it is the only major computer builder that does not use Intel chips) and developing software for UNIX-based (non Windows NT) systems. Although Windows NT is becoming increasingly popular, Sun is doing well with its sale of Unix servers and workstations, and has seen its earnings and stock price rise steadily. In late 1997, Sun filed a suit against Microsoft relating to the software giant's use of Sun's Java language. It has won several preliminary injunctions so far, the latest of which came in May 2000 based on claims of unfair competition.

Co-dependency in Javaland

The problem with an innovation designed to be universal is that profits are usually made off proprietary products. Microsoft can sell its software to every person in the country, but Sun depends on companies such as Microsoft, Netscape, and Apple to include its "virtual machines" in its operating systems and web browsers. The only money it can make off Java, outside the development and sale of an operating system and microprocessors of its own ideal for running the Java language, will come from royalty-based licensing agreements with other companies. In 1999, Sun unveiled its newest version of the Java platform, Java2, in three editions: enterprise, standard (desktop), and consumer (for devices).

From Java to Jini

Although Sun is mostly known for Java, the future of the company may rest with a new software program called Jini (pronounced "genie"), which Chief Scientist Bill Joy developed in 1998. Described by The Wall Street Journal as "part language, part protocol, part operating system," Jini enables computers to share information, programs, and processing power as one unit, thus making the idea of one dominant operating system more irrelevant.

In other words, computers that run on different operating systems will be able to communicate more easily with each other on a single network. For now, Sun plans to use the software to connect accessory devices such as printers, scanners, and disk drives. But in what may be a prelude to artificial intelligence, Sun is also working with Swarm Corp. to develop super Jini networks that would have the combined strength of countless computers. In theory, these networks would be capable of self-reflection, the ability to seek connections and solve complex problems without human interference. "Our goal is to lose control over the network and make everyone else - from Bell Labs to Microsoft - lose control too," a Sun official told Wired magazine.

A little house cleaning

In 1999, Sun reorganized, attempting to eliminate overlaps and redundancies as the computer maker continues to grow at a brisk pace. Gone are the separate operating companies that served Sun well during its infancy days. Sun is now divided into seven divisions that cover areas such as computer systems, software, and customer service.

The next generation

In November 1998, as part of America Online's blockbuster acquisition of Netscape, Sun formed an alliance with AOL to develop technology that will enable subscribers to access services over non-PC devices. The joint venture includes the creation of an independent, 2,000-person software business and a partnership to create e-commerce systems, which are due to come out in 2000. Part of Sun's role in the partnership will be providing sales and support staff to help push these new e-commerce capabilities.

More competition with Microsoft

In August of 1999 Sun bought software maker Star Division for an undisclosed amount. Star makes a suite of office software that is very similar to Microsoft's Office package. The software suite called StarOffice can even read and write data in Microsoft file formats. Sun plans to make the software available as an internet service accessible to anyone through any browser. Sun feels that the advantage is that users will not have to load increasingly large applications onto their hard disks. The venture is part of a larger initiative to enact a paradigm shift away from the PC model towards a server based system where applications are delivered over powerful networks.

Giving away the code

In October 1999 Sun announced that it would make the source code to its Solaris operating system freely available. The source code is not altogether free in the sense that the Linux source code is. Programmers can utilize the Solaris code as much as they like as long as they provide open interfaces and report bugs. Commercial applications for the code require a licensing fee. Sun will have to make the code available in a piecemeal fashion, as it has to contend with third-party intellectual-property snags. Sun has used the same community-source licensing for its Java and Jini software and its many of its microprocessors as well. But not everyone has been happy with the open-source strategy - the company has come under fire from IBM, HP, and Microsoft, who have threatened to wrest control of Java specifications if Sun does not pursue serious efforts to standardize the language.

In a significant move for the open-source community, Sun announced in July 2000 it would release the source code for its StarOffice productivity-application suite, allowing developers to modify and distribute its work under a license. The company hoped developers would improve Staroffice, help bring it to other platforms and gain more users. Sun has also created OpenOffice.org, an organization that will oversee StarOffice's development.

The Sun keeps rising