Consequently, one of Sun's main arguments in the case was that Microsoft wrongfully advertised that its products were Java-compatible because, in Sun's eyes, they were not. Those changes broke the universality of Java, Sun argued. "It's pretty simple: This is a victory for our licensees and consumers," Sun CEO Scott McNealy said in a statement. "The community wants one Java technology: one brand, one process and one great platform. We've accomplished that, and this agreement further protects the authenticity and value of Sun's Java technology." Microsoft was equally upbeat. "This settlement is great news for the industry and Microsoft, as it means we can focus all our resources to help enable the next generation of software with Web services," said Sanjay Parthasarathy, vice president of platform strategy at Microsoft. Shares in both companies were up in after-hours trading on the Island electronic communications network, with Sun rising from $ 31.56 to $ 32.37 and Microsoft going from $60.56 to $61.94.

Java emerged in the mid-1990s and was immediately hailed as a technology that could greatly affect Microsoft's future, as it allowed developers to create desktop applications that could run on any operating system. As a result, developers ideally would not have to dedicate themselves to writing Windows programs to survive. Although hype outpaced actual Java implementation, the technology has steadily caught on. The germ of the suit began when Microsoft took out a Java license in 1996. Sun contended that Microsoft quickly began to run afoul of the licensing terms and filed the initial lawsuit in October 1997. In arrangement with India.CNET.com