Sun looks to boost Java-.Net interoperability

Sun Microsystems, in a move to improve interoperability between Java and Microsoft's .Net platform, plans to develop and distribute open source versions of several industry-wide Web services specifications. The company is planning implementations of WS-* specifications in messaging, metadata, security, and quality of service.

"What we're announcing is sort of a continued commitment to interoperability, especially with technology from Microsoft," said Ashesh Badani, group marketing manager for SOA at Sun.

The specifications include:

* WS-Addressing
* MTOM (Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism)
* WS-Policy
* WS-MetadataExchange
* WS-Security
* WS-Trust
* WS-SecureConversation

* WS-ReliableMessaging
* WS-Coordination

Sun cited Microsoft's plans to implement these specifications in the planned Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), formerly known as Indigo, which is Microsoft's Web services platform. The specifications serve as interfaces to WCF, Badani said.

Developers can use the implementations to integrate .Net with Java, Sun said.

By offering them via open source, they can more easily be used in products, Badani said.

Sun will make the implementations available via Sun's Glassfish project, which is an open source development effort for Sun's Java System Application Server. Preliminary code for the specifications is expected in three to six months, followed by another prerelease of code in the Java Web Services Developer Pack.

Microsoft endorsed Sun's effort in a prepared statement.

"Microsoft is pleased that Sun shares our goal of using the WS-* specifications to provide interoperability between applications regardless of the underlying platform. Technical collaboration on WCF and WS-* specifications is a natural part of our ongoing efforts with Sun and important to our mutual customers," Microsoft said.

Previous efforts to interoperate between Sun's Solaris OS and Java and Windows and .Net have focused on areas such as Web services, single sign-on, and identity.

Sun's WS-* effort is being done in conjunction with an event called the Indigo/WCF Interop Plug-fest, to be held at Microsoft offices in Redmond, Wash., next week.