In the wake of settling the lawsuit over Java leveled by Sun Microsystems, Microsoft Corp. Thursday raised the curtain on a new set of tools aimed at helping Java users utilize its .NET platform.
The tool set, called Java User Migration Path to Microsoft .NET (or JUMP to .NET for short) is, according to Microsoft, “a set of independently-developed technologies and service offerings to enable programmers to preserve, enhance and migrate Java language projects onto the Microsoft .NET platform.”
“With JUMP to .NET, the Java language joins over 20 other programming languages from Microsoft and third party vendors supporting the .NET platform,” said Sanjay Parthasarathy, vice president of platform strategy at Microsoft. “The principle of integration is fundamental to Microsoft .NET. JUMP to .NET further underscores our commitment to interoperability and choice of programming language for building Web services.”
Microsoft said existing applications developed with Visual J++ can be easily modified to execute on the .NET platform, interoperate with other .NET languages and applications, and incorporate new .NET functionality. Developers familiar with Java syntax can use it to create new .NET applications or migrate existing code entirely to the C# language.
The JUMP to .NET package consists of:
- Interoperability support — a set of tools for mechanically modifying applications built with Visual J++ to work with the .NET platform
- Programming tools support — a tool set which allows .NET users utilize Java syntax
- Automated conversion from Java source code to C# — a tool that automatically converts existing Java source code into C#.
The package also includes paid consulting services for applying JUMP to .NET technologies to specific customer projects.
Microsoft plans to release a beta of JUMP to .NET tools in the first half of 2001 and a final release in the second half of the year. The tools will work in conjunction with Visual Studio.NET. Pricing has not yet been announced.