Thursday, 4 October 2007

Sun Asks Apple To Adopt Java

Sun Microsystems whose Java application on over 2 billion mobile phones globally has urged Apple to use Java in its popular phone—iPhone and Apple called it a grave mistake on the part of Apple.

Speaking at the AJAXWorld conference in Santa Clara, California, Bob Brewin, Vice President for Software, Sun Microsystems, said, "I think it's a mistake. I think it would provide a lot more flexibility in applications being developed."

JavaScript runs on the phone and someone will put Java on the iPhone, Brewin said. But by not having it on there now, iPhone users and Java developers are being shortchanged, according to Brewin.

Current Java applications such as the LimeWire media-sharing application could be easily ported and developers could choose the Java language for building new programmes for the iPhone, he said. There also could be a lot of Java-based games made to work on the device, Brewin said.

He attributed Apple's stance to the company wanting developers to develop for only a small set of APIs. "Fundamentally, they don't like open systems," Brewin said.