December 13, 2001
(Computerworld)
Microsoft Corp. today said a standards body has ratified its new development language, which is a key component of the vendor's .Net Web services strategy.
The European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) ratified Microsoft's C# (pronounced C-sharp) development language and Common Language Infrastructure (CLI), the runtime environment for the tool, this week. The ECMA is a Geneva-based standards organization, whose 30 voting members include industry giants Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM.
Jan van den Beld, ECMA's secretary-general, said 28 members voted to approve C# and CLI as standards, but two members, Sun Microsystems Inc. and Apple Computer Inc., abstained. The two standards will also be sent to the International Standards Organization for ratification as an international standard, van den Beld said.
Microsoft unveiled C# 18 months ago, claiming that it would make it easier for C and C++ developers to create objects that run on the company's new .Net infrastructure. After launching the language, Microsoft immediately sent a technical specification to ECMA for ratification.
Kyle Johnson, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., said enough isn't known about the ECMA to determine whether Microsoft or the standards organization will ultimately control the C# language and CLI technology.
"It's a way for Microsoft to shore claims of openness, but that may not necessarily be the case," said Johnson. "Can ECMA keep Microsoft from making arbitrary change to the specification? What kind of comfort can they provide that Microsoft won't control the language?" Johnson asked.
But van den Beld responded that Microsoft won't get special consideration through ECMA.
"ECMA is recognized as a real standardization body by the European Union and the [International Telecommunication Union]," he said. "Every company in ECMA has one vote, and everything is decided on the technical merits. One of the assessors is Microsoft, but there are 29 others."
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