Their view is that corporate developers will launch a browser when they get to the office in the morning and stay there all day writing software, reviewing email, and working with spreadsheets and other documents. The applications and their foundation technologies can be written to execute on everything from a Cray to a Macintosh, from a mainframe to a microwave oven. Just as importantly, existing personal productivity software like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will be replaced by applets designed to run in the browser. The new software can be written as a series of relatively small applets with minimal capabilities. Most people use only a fraction of the functions of their existing word processors or spreadsheet programs and never bother to learn the rest.
Power users can simply download additional applets to their PC for local execution when needed.
SunSoft already has a long-standing record of making software open, standard, and available on multiple platforms. Microsoft is Big Brother and Java is a 100 MPH fastball aimed at the head of Bill Gates. But never underestimate Mr. Gates. Aside from having a lifetime batting average of about .750, he knows how to handle a bean ball. Microsoft is attempting to provide its customers with two approaches to the Internet.