Man, Microsoft can't seem to stay out of trouble. Webintosh reports that Billy and company are being sued by Sun Microsystems for spiking their Java.

Sun envisioned Java as a true cross-platform development language; programmers who write software using Java are supposed to be able to deploy that software on any platform. However, for a while now it has looked as though Microsoft sees fit to taint Java with its own proprietary extensions and features, and render it incompatible by leaving things out. What this means is that when developers write Java programs using Microsoft development tools, that software may only run on Windows machines, or in the Internet Explorer web browser. And people who try to run "pure" Java programs in Windows, or within MSIE, may not be able to get things to work. The latest version of MSIE and M$'s Java Development Kit just shipped with a version of Java that is simply not compatible with the rest of the Java-drinking world.

Sun's lawsuit charges that Microsoft failed in its contractual obligations to provide a compatible implementation of Java, and is intended to prevent Microsoft from labeling their Java products as "Java compatible." The Java Lobby has posted an open letter to Bill Gates, which explains things pretty well. They ask for a "public, official response" to their requests "within ten days." It'll be interesting to see if they get one.

For those of you who are worried about the part of Apple's deal with the devil Microsoft in which it states that the two companies will "collaborate on Java," fear not-- Apple's Java implementations will support "true" Java, as well as Microsoft's bastardized version. In fact, Apple wants Macintosh to be the best Java platform out there, bar none.