Desktop Success Affords New Opportunity Says Sun CEO
Sun Microsystems CEO Hails Java's Progress, Announces Java Developer Promotion, Hands Out Second Annual Duke's Choice Awards
SAN FRANCISCO -- JavaOne Developer Conference -- June 29, 2004 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. opened day two of its ninth annual JavaOne software conference today with a keynote by Scott McNealy, Sun's Chairman and CEO. McNealy told the packed conference hall that the vision of Java running everywhere, across networked technologies, and providing a unifying platform for network computing from smartcards to hand-held devices to servers, was now a global reality."What a difference a year makes," said McNealy. "There are now four million Java developers and 550 Java user groups worldwide. From Michigan to Mars, the Java community has really made its mark over the past twelve months and the next year promises to be even more aggressive."
McNealy noted that Java-enabled content now powers over seven million Web pages, is found on more than 650 million desktops and is the leading platform for mobile applications with 93 carrier deployments around the world. McNealy also stated that nearly 60 percent of worldwide PC desktops ship with the most current version of Java.
Appealing to the Java developers in the audience, McNealy announced a Sun Java Developer promotion with a pricing twist. McNealy said that Sun will list a developer bundle on eBay with an opening bid starting at just a penny. The bundle will include Sun Java Studio Enterprise, sample code, tutorials and an Opteron- based workstation. Developers can bid at www.ebay.com/sun.
Java and next-generation gaming took center stage with demonstrations of high- performance networked games. McNealy revved up the gamers in the crowd saying, "Get ready to be impressed, you are about to see some of the coolest, highest performing graphics in gaming, all thanks to Java."
Sun's chief gaming officer, Chris Melissinos joined McNealy on stage for a demo of TechLand Software's highly acclaimed Chrome multiplayer PC game uses which uses Java technology extensively. The duo also demonstrated an experimental game called Square Heads, created by game developers from the Java.Net games community and based entirely on Java technology.
"This one is for all the non-believers out there," quipped McNealy referring to SquareHeads speed. The winner of the Java Technology Game Developers Competition also was announced and will be available to demo on the Java.Net games site.
To further demonstrate that Java technology is becoming increasingly more important in the video game industry, McNealy brought out Infinium Lab's president and co-creator of Microsoft's Xbox, Kevin Bachus to announce that Infinium will be shipping Java technology on its Phantom game receiver when it launches this fall. The Phantom video game receiver is a broadband-enabled game platform that utilizes the industry's first on-demand, subscription-based content streaming service. The use of Java technology on the Phantom platform means that gamers will be able to enjoy the same Java technology- based games that they enjoyed on Windows-based PCs, as they become available on Infinium's network.
In his keynote, McNealy also gave the nod to one of Sun's newest customers, Allied Irish Bank (AIB). One of Ireland's largest banking and financial services organizations, a significant private sector employer, and one of Europe's largest indigenous companies, AIB will migrate 7,500 desktop users and transition branch dependent applications across its entire branch network to Sun's Java(tm) Desktop System (see separate release for more details).
McNealy presented the second-annual Duke's Choice Awards for most innovative Java Technology applications. The Duke's Choice Awards, now in their second year, recognize the best-of-the-best in the world of Java technology development. Winners received a statue of "Duke," the Java mascot, and a certificate of recognition from McNealy and James Gosling, creator of the Java programming language. "Duke continues to reward innovative uses of Java in the unlikeliest of places," said McNealy. This year's crop of winners included an audio-assisted navigational system from Avis developed by Motorola; Slooh.com's online observatory, which gives earth bound viewers tours of the galaxies; and, SK Telecom's Moneta Card, a wireless payment system. The complete list of 2004 Duke's Award recipients include:
Sun's alliance with Microsoft, which was announced in April, also got a mention. McNealy outlined how the two companies plan to make their products interoperable over the coming years. "All kidding aside, I know we shocked some of you back in April with that announcement, but we are serious about working with Microsoft. The better our products work together, the better it is for all of you."
McNealy stressed the importance of the Java community to Sun and promised to help make sure the community continues to grow and thrive. McNealy issued an open invite to Red Hat and Microsoft to join the JCP, saying that greater things would be made possible for the community with these two companies involved.
About JavaOne, Sun's 2004 Worldwide Java Developer Conference
The JavaOne conference is the world's leading event for Java technology developers. Established in 1996, the Conference gives attendees access to the greatest minds and innovations in the Java technology community. Developers have the opportunity to learn about and apply the next generation of Java technology for the full spectrum of development, from mobile devices to enterprise applications.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com