According to the strategy, Sun has pinned the responsibility on competency centres for Java to offer architectural and educational support, authorised Java centres to implement full Java solutions in specific segments, Sun Developer Connection to support software vendors, training and education programmes to improve popularity and customer programmes to created large awareness.

Sun has around 23 authorised Java centres. According to Sun Microsystems director for strategic alliances, S Rajeev, the company is signing up for more centres in the country. Its Competency Center for Java in Hyderabad focuses on the understand/evaluate/architect portion of the road to Java. Its Authorised Java Centres are PriceWaterhouse at Calcutta for manufacturing and ERP, and LG Software India at Bangalore forembedded devices and e-commerce. Sun will soon launch new centres for the finance sector and manufacturing partners. It is also in discussion for a telecom sector partner.

Under the customer programme, the company is planning to work with various state governments on e-governance and with large customers on web/portal-based computing. Sun's perspective of the `Road to Java' is understand, evaluate, architect, pilot and implement.

Recently, IBM, Novell, Oracle, Sun and the Sun-Netscape alliance joined hands to establish standards for knowledge and skill levels for enterprise developers in Java technology.

On the developer base, Rajeev said Sun Developer Connection has over 22,000 members in India, and about 400,000 worldwide. There is also a continuing sign-up process on www.sun.com/developer with several software vendors signing up every week. Sun has submitted the Java to the ECMA, formerly European Computer Manufacturers Association for formal standardisation. ECMA is an international information andcommunications technology standardisation body.

CardTech/SecurTech of Sun has been licensed the scalable Java card platform to over 30 smart card manufacturers and developers to further the Java technology based solutions.

In insurance sector, ACORD, an independent standards body has ratified the first Java technology based implementation of the ACORD ObjX standard component interface.

JavaServer Pages technology launched

Sun Microsystems Inc has launched its JavaServer Pages technology which allows web page developers to easily build cross-platform and truly interactive websites.

The new technology separates the functions of content generation and page layout, providing developers with a simplified and more efficient way to create server-generated web pages. JavaServer Pages help web developers concentrate on the `look' and display of the site without the need for application development expertise.