No dummy, Gosling did nothing of the sort. But he
did acknowledge that the "write once, run anywhere" promise of Java is at
best half-brewed. And that, Microsoft hopes, will underscore its main
point: That
Sun's Java never worked as promised, which meant Redmond had to write its
own version. Of course, Microsoft's version is hardly cross-platform -- it
runs only on Windows machines. "This is the classic Microsoft argument,"
says TIME technology editor Philip Elmer-DeWitt. "If their rivals are having
problems it's because they can't cut it, not because of anything Microsoft
did." What's unfortunate is that there's a little bit of truth in all of
these allegations -- Java is notoriously unstable. But even if that's true,
it doesn't mean Microsoft didn't try to use its leverage to put Java where
Sun don't shine, says prosecutor David Boies. Microsoft's argument, says
Boies, "is a little bit like saying if somebody shoots you they can defend
[themselves] by saying you have cancer."