Microsoft will retire several of its products next week, including Windows 98 and SQL Server 7, to comply with a court order related to its dispute with Sun Microsystems over Java.
In a posting to Microsoft's developer Web site, the company lists several older products that are being phased out and that will no longer be available to customers as of Dec. 15.
The roster of products to be dropped includes SQL Server 7, Office XP Developer, Windows 98, and a number of Office 2000-related tools and patches. Microsoft said it will update Java-compliant versions of some products by the end of December, including Office XP Professional with FrontPage, Publisher 2002, Windows NT 4.0 and Small Business Server 2000.
Microsoft said that after the deadline the products would no longer be available through its MSDN developer Web site or "other channels at Microsoft." In the posting, dated Dec. 4, the company said the shift was "due to a settlement agreement reached in January 2001" related to a Java licensing agreement between Sun and Microsoft.
According to an agreement reached with Sun over the distribution of the Java virtual machine, Microsoft's software has to run Java programs. Microsoft has the right to modify Microsoft's Java software to fix critical bugs or security holes through January 2, 2004.
While Microsoft will no longer distribute the products listed, many will continue to be supported. The company plans to offer SQL Server 7 support until the end of 2007, for instance. Windows 98 support is available, for a fee, until next month. Third-party companies also provide Windows 98 support.
