IBM extends its Java license through 2016 and agrees to support its middleware on Sun's Solaris OS.

SAN FRANCISCO—IBM's decision to expand its Java license and to support its middleware on the Solaris operating system is a coup for Sun Microsystems Inc., Sun said at JavaOne here Monday.

"We've had a little bit of a chill in our relationship with IBM, and IBM has been there from the start," said Jonathan Schwartz, president and chief operating officer of Sun, regarding his company's history with IBM over Java. "And we're working to better our relationship with people we've had issues with. I want to give all the credit to Steve Mills [senior vice president and group executive heading IBM's Software Group]."

IBM and Sun are extending their Java technology agreement to license and use Java technologies from Sun through 2016. In addition, IBM plans to support its middleware on the Solaris 10 operating system on SPARC x86 and x64 systems, the companies said.

As Java enters its second decade, Sun is facing a future that includes less control over what happens with the technology. Click here to read Sean Gallagher's column.

In a video, IBM's Mills said, "Java has been a very important technology for IBM. I was around 10 years ago when we were deciding whether IBM would become a licensee. And now we've extended our licensing around Java for the next 10 years. It's an important industry standard that has brought about a lot of change in the IT industry."

Robert LeBlanc, general manager of IBM's WebSphere product line, was on hand at the conference to praise the deal.

"We've been there since the beginning with you," LeBlanc said. Extending the license agreement "is very important to our customers, and it shows the whole community how important Java is, and we are in this for the long haul."

Meanwhile, Sun announced that it is open-sourcing its Java Enterprise Edition implementation. Yet, the company has made no plans regarding an open-source implementation of its Java Standard Edition.

In an interview with eWEEK, Schwartz said to "stay tuned" regarding open-sourcing the Java SE.

This article was originally published on eWEEK.com.

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