IT professionals unlikely to jump to Java

The Butler Group has questioned Microsoft's Java User Migration Path (JUMP), saying it is unlikely Java professionals will bother to use it to develop their careers.

Following the out-of-court settlement with Sun Microsystems over Java licensing, Microsoft launched a set of technologies that would enable programmers to migrate Java language projects onto the Microsoft .Net Platform.

The software giant claims that by supporting multiple programming languages, the .Net platform maximises the scarce resource of skilled programmers.

It says that with JUMP to .Net, businesses can harness a diverse set of developer's skills without requiring wholesale retraining of personnel.

Microsoft says it allows Visual J users and other programmers who use the Java language to fully exploit the Microsoft platform.

The Butler Group Opinion report said: "Because Visual J is often purchased as a component of the visual studio product, it is difficult to estimate how many developers are using Microsoft's Java language implementation. But it is unlikely that many of them would see the combination as the platform of choice for creating new Java applications."

Microsoft claims that JUMP to .Net provides the easiest transition for Java developers into the world of XML-based web services.

Sanjay Parthasarathy, vice president of platform strategy at Microsoft, said that IT professionals could easily transfer their skills to JUMP to .Net.

"Developers familiar with the Java language syntax can use it to create new .Net applications. Any code that cannot be converted to the C# language is flagged within the visual studio .Net integrated development environment to help developers find and address any remaining conversion issues."