For smaller companies this shouldn't prove too much of a problem. If they need to choose today, they'll choose Java, simply because .Net is still up in the ether trailing vapour. Java skills are still in shorter supply than Visual Basic, which means they also command more of a premium. But analysts are warning that there may be a big step up from VB to .Net, so those who think that backing VB gives them automatic entry into the .Net world may be disappointed. In fact, there are those who believe that .Net may even be widened to include Java, so Java may provide a safer route to the Microsoft framework than any of the current crop of Microsoft own-brand languages.
Life is much less simple for large organisations.
According to Gartner, it will take anything up to 18 months for .Net to start making sense, and twice as long for it to start snapping at Java's heels. The ability to source and manage development skills remains one of the most important success factors for ebusiness. A survey released in November warned that 40 per cent of ebusiness projects could fail as a result of skills shortages or failure to retain technical staff. Business will not put up with the spiralling costs of IT indefinitely. The radical solution also looks the most likely, which is to shut down the IT department and outsource development.