But Fitzgerald said the company is not planning to make any announcements about new programming technologies this week. Perhaps JavaOne's most intriguing demonstrations will involve non-PC devices, where the next big battle between Microsoft and Sun will be played out. Sun has promoted Java as the ideal software to power a slew of Internet appliances, ranging from television set-top boxes to personal digital assistants to washing machines. It has buttressed those efforts with Jini, a sleek Java-based technology that would let devices hook onto networks easily and tap each other's power. Microsoft has pushed its pint-size Windows CE operating system for similar uses.
Analysts say the number of Internet devices is likely to explode in the next few years.
But because the market is so diverse, no single company or technology is likely to dominate it. Over the past two years, Sun has announced a number of alliances with device manufacturers ranging from electronics giant Motorola to set-top box maker Scientific Atlanta. But even Sun admits that, so far, Java's success in the emerging devices market has been limited. Kannegaard said other technologies, like 3Com Corp.'s Palm and Britain's Psion Plc, a maker of operating systems for handheld computers, are taking the lead.