In fact, Sun has been complaining that the Eclipse project -- keeper of one of the most popular Java development tool packages -- could be detrimental to the Java community at large.
As odd as it sounds, Sun has a point: Eclipse has to demonstrate that it's not just a "tool" to push IBM software -- Big Blue being the founder and, until recently, the primary driver of the project. But Sun bears at least as much responsibility as does the newly independent Eclipse to make sure that competing Java technologies serve to make Java more compelling, not merely a vehicle for locking customers into particular vendors.
In a recent letter to members of Eclipse, Sun urged the group to be a unifying, rather than fracturing, force in the Java industry. Sun has real reason for concern: The Eclipse technology diverges from the official, Sun-controlled Java standard in at least one high-profile area -- the software for building graphical user interfaces. Equally disturbing for Sun is Eclipse's IBM pedigree and not-so-subtle name.
Eclipse will go through a closely watched transition from an IBM-sponsored project to an independent open-source foundation staffed largely by software providers. But Sun, too, has to learn to play nice. Eclipse has a lot of momentum and industry support.
For that reason alone, all the leading influencers in Java technology should engage Eclipse membership and find fruitful areas of collaboration. That includes the Java Community Process standards group; Sun's NetBeans project; and the Java Tools Community, a lobbying organisation for Java tools-related standards.
Sounds obvious. But politics, perceptions and fierce rivalries among competitors have a way of distorting the obvious.
Take Sun's letter and its stated reasons for not joining Eclipse. Sun says it could never join the group, because that would mean abandoning NetBeans. Eclipse members are quick to point out that that's not exactly true: Sun could simply offer a small add-on Eclipse product and be a member with minimal investment. One industry executive says Sun's pride is getting in the way of joining Eclipse, conjecturing that Sun won't settle for a diminished status in Java dealings.
Sun certainly doesn't need to be a card-carrying Eclipse member to be influential in Java's evolution. But in an industry built on software standards, even perceived conflicts between the big guys make customers nervous that the standards will split. A fractured standard only hurts everyone's sales, because a nervous customer can equate a reluctant buyer. Customers should be able to choose their vendors based on healthy competition, not a standards battle.
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