Strategies for De facto compatibility: Standardization, proprietary and open source approaches to Java

Standardization is a means to achieve software compatibility, and not an end in itself. De facto, compatibility can also be achieved by market dominance—irrespective of the software development process, which may range from a proprietary to an open source approach. This article explores the compatibility strategies which companies use (diversity) and their effectiveness (impact) by means of a case: Sun’s strategies regarding Java, a middleware technology where compatibility is crucial. It concludes that, if we focus on de facto compatibility, standardization need not be the most effective strategy. Compatibility policy should address the critical inclusion of proprietary and open source specifications. Her interests include the role of standards consortia (e.g. recent EU project), and the impact of standards on infrastructure development, a subject addressed in a European workshop she co-organized. She is editor of Tales of Standardisation, a web-based series of instructive and entertaining tales.