主题：【前沿资讯】SUN和MICROSOFT携手 -- 西风陶陶

又一条咸鱼要翻生否？

AP

Sun, Microsoft Join Forces on ID Management

Monday May 16, 9:06 am ET

Sun, Microsoft Join Forces to Produce Identity Management System for Networks

PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) -- Former archenemies Sun Microsystems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. marked the first anniversary of their historic detente by unveiling a series of measures to improve how their products work together.

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On Friday, Sun CEO Scott McNealy of Sun and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that their companies have jointly developed and published two draft specifications to allow people to sign on once to multiple networks. Previously, the companies led competing efforts to achieve the same goal.

The technology news, though, was overshadowed by the joint appearance of McNealy and Ballmer, who until April 2004 were bitter enemies. McNealy once referred to Microsoft's executive team of Ballmer and Bill Gates as "Beavis and Butthead."

Sun also sued for alleged anticompetitive behavior after Microsoft rewrote elements of Sun's Java programming environment specific to its Windows operating system. Later, Microsoft said it would yank Java entirely from its ubiquitous software.

The wrangling ended in last spring, when the companies surprised the world with a $1.95 billion settlement and 10-year collaboration agreement. Since then, the companies have been working hard at working together, Ballmer said.

"In the first year, we've moved from the courtroom to the computer lab," he said. "Now we're moving from the lab to the market."

McNealy chided doubters who said the companies would have a hard time agreeing on anything.

"A year ago, the skeptics doubted that we could agree on the shape of the table, much less collaborate on solving some of the industry's toughest problems," he said. "Surprise -- we did just that and today we've taken a huge step forward."

The new specifications are now available for software developers. The executives said they expect the technology to start appearing in products later this year.

"This is just the beginning of a long list of projects we're working on," McNealy said.

Sun Microsystems: http://www.sun.com

Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com