Microsoft postpones Java summit

Microsoft Corp. has postponed its Java Summit, citing conflicts with the upcoming Internet World show in New York next week.

The company last week issued invitations to about 100 influential Java developers for an all-expense-paid trip to Redmond on Friday and Saturday.

Product manager Joe Herman said the briefing was "a standard briefing like we conduct all the time to explain our technologies and strategy and what we're trying to accomplish.

"With the holidays and Internet World, many people couldn't make it. We had trouble scheduling our own speakers," Herman said. "The level of disappointment was high enough, we realized we should reschedule it when everybody could come."

The summit has not been rescheduled, although Microsoft is now scheduling briefings at Internet World about Java and how it fits into Microsoft's other Internet World announcements. These include the Option Pack for Windows NT 4.

Microsoft group product manager Cornelius Willis said the option pack is Microsoft's answer to Java on the server, an initiative to be pushed next week by Sun Microsystems Inc., IBM Corp. and Novell Inc., among others.