Microsoft Drops Java Support

Yes, Microsoft removed Java from Windows XP, but users who want to use the technology can download it from Microsoft's Windows Update Web site (the XP Start menu even includes a link to the site). In case you didn't know, Sun Microsystems (which controls Java) sued Microsoft to force the software giant to conform to Sun's Java standard. That Microsoft would then decide to make Java optional in Windows is, well, not surprising. Microsoft's move might be the final nail in the coffin for Java as a desktop technology.