Sun invests in Java

Posted on 14 Aug 2002 at 12:57

Eighty thousand dollars up for grabs in a Java coding challenge, and $3m of funding for Open Source Java compatibility funding...

With a total prize purse of $80,000, the Sun Coding Challenge will see an initial qualifying round whittle the entrants down to 32. Following further tests, four code gurus will be left to compete for the $50,000 first prize. According to TopCoder, the company that specialises in code tournaments, the comp will provide 'an excellent platform for displaying individual programming talent'.

The code-offs will be held in San Francisco during the SunNetwork Conference, which starts 18 September.

'Many people think of software engineers as antisocial without a competitive bone in their bodies,' said James Gosling, VP and Sun Fellow at Sun Microsystems. 'But while we may be "differently social", we are very competitive, especially about the activity at the core of our profession: coding.'

While on matters Java, Sun has also announced the formation of a scholarship program for Open Source developers working with Java. Specifically, the program is aimed at compatibility testing for Java systems. The idea behind the $3m funding is to help ensure that the cost of rigorous compatibility testing process is not a barrier for individuals, or not-for-profit organisations, to implement Java.

'Sun recognizes the value of Open Source efforts under way around the world, and this new compatibility testing scholarship program will help developers build compatible Open Source implementations of Java technology," said Rob Gingell, chief engineer at Sun and chair of the Java Community Process.