To its originators at Sun Microsystems, Java is closer to a virtual religion than a programming language that promises to free software developers from the curse of platform incompatibility. Sun's Scott McNealy and Oracle's Larry Ellison want to use Java to batter down the gates of Microsoft's software empire. But can Java be their ram? In this four-day series, Wired News dissects the hype and assesses the current state of Java.
Monday: Battle for Brand
Coke ... Nike ... Java?
A multimillion-dollar media blitz has bought greater market clout and a half-million-strong developers community. Now Sun's efforts to build a Big-Name Brand are at the crossroads of hype and hope.
A 100 Percent Pure Plain English FAQ
What exactly is Java? What can it do? How does it perform? Where's it headed?
Tuesday: The Quest for Slimmer Apps
Java's Suite Salvation?
Bigger wasn't better. Now, second-generation Java apps are shaping up as thin-client suites. Word is, a certain software behemoth's thinking of squeezing in.
Wednesday: Invisible Java
Java: The Flavor Middleware-Makers Love
Java may only just now be maturing as an application language, but for vendors who need to run pipes between distributed systems, the language was born to plumb. And as this Java-based "middleware" matures, the applications at the end of it could get thinner faster.
The Navbar Applet Grows Up
Java was a born Web star. But only now are webmasters starting to figure out how to use it.
Today: Helping Hand and Dilemmas
Keiretsu: That's Java for 'Giant Shortcut'
What Kleiner Perkins provides its Java start-ups is more than any venture capital could buy - a Silicon Valley reputation that gets new companies into doors few are able to open.
The Kleiner Perkins' Java Fund Roster
Despite their diversity, the one thing Java Fund companies have in common is their target market: enterprise systems. A rundown of the 14 companies that are part of Kleiner Perkins' US$100 million kitty.
Developers Struggle Through Revolution
Sun and Microsoft are in a tug-of-war that pits Java the language against Java the platform. In the middle are developers who have to make some hard decisions about where to place their bets.
