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Microsoft Pays $2.5 Billion for a Java App

I am heartened that Microsoft has seen the error in its ways and now believes that Java is a wonderful language to use for important, valuable programs. That is the clear conclusion we can take from their purchase of Mojang for $2.5B, given that almost all of Mojang's income comes from a Java program (Minecraft) and its Java-based server. A cold-hearted profit-based company like Microsoft sees huge business value in a pure Java program. Hopefully this signals a shift in their years-old distraction strategy of trying to come up with a Java alternative (.net) that only works properly on Windows. Perhaps their new CEO (Satya Nadella) will abandon those plans and start investing more in Java-based companies.

Indeed, a return to an industry-wide standardization on Java could have great savings in time and money across the high-tech industry. Many a pointless, time-wasting battle has been fought deciding between industry-standard Java and windows-only .net. With those days hopefully soon behind us we can enjoy a renaissance in software engineering, with people again focused on the user value of their software, and not battles over core technologies.


Last modified on 15 Sep 2014 by AO

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