Although Java, the "right once, run everywhere" language is widely used in Internet applications, it has a bigger potential market in embedded devices like office equipment and household appliances.

The universal qualities of Java mean it can simplify the process of linking machines running on incompatible computer languages. Bringing Java to so-called embedded devices could potentially turn a vast array of products from microwave ovens to entire factory assembly lines into virtual machines that could be linked to the Internet.

A commonly-cited example of this interconnectivity is that it wouldenable someone to turn on his home microwave oven from his computer at work, getting dinner started before he left the office.

Earlier this year, Hewlett-Packard introduced its own version of Java, designed specifically for embedded devices. This week it said it had joined with Microsoft, Access Company Ltd, Intermetrics Inc, Omron, Rockwell Collins, Siemens AG and Yokogawa Electric to develop a set of standards for such Java applications.

The group said its goal was to accelerate the use of Java programming in everyday appliances by allowing any company, not just Sun, to build these solutions.

Hewlett-Packard says the embedded market for Java is much larger than the computer market, since 87 per cent of all microprocessors are contained in embedded devices.

However, its move to develop its own set of standards without Sun was further evidence of two distinct Java camps forming, a problem some say could erode the product's real value.

"It destroys the core value of Java," said Rob Enderle, ananalyst for Giga Information Group. "If this continues, it will become trivialised over time."

Sun's new solution for the real-time, embedded device market, is the Sun Embedded Workshop 2.0. It said the new applications were designed specifically for consumer devices.