Sun says aha to Java!

Server and software maker Sun Microsystems, which has built most of its company around the Java programming language since it was introduced in April 1995, has announced that it will change its Nasdaq stock symbol to "JAVA" from "SUNW" beginning next week. Since Sun stock began trading in 1986, SUNW had been used for the stock ticker. The ticker symbol allows investors to quickly locate a company on the exchange. SUNW, which stands for "Stanford University Network Workstation," reflects Sun's early position as a Unix workstation supplier, with the W in its current Nasdaq symbol making for workstation. Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim designed a Unix workstation as a Stanford graduate student to run on the Stanford University Network. "SUNW represents the past, and it’s not without a nostalgic nod that we've decided to look ahead," Sun President and CEO Jonathan Schwartz wrote in his blog. "The number of people who know Java swamps the number of people who know Sun," Schwartz wrote. Schwartz added, "Java touches nearly everyone - everyone - who touches the internet. Hundreds of millions of users see Java, and its ubiquitous logo, every day. On PC's, mobile phones, game consoles - you name it, wherever the network travels, the odds are good Java's powering a portion of the experience." "What's that distribution and awareness worth to us? It's hard to say," Schwartz wrote. "Brands, like employees, aren't expenses, they're investments. Measuring their value is more art than science. But there's no doubt in my mind more people know Java than Sun Microsystems. There's similarly no doubt they know Java more than nearly any other brand on the Internet." Sun programmers under James Gosling developed Java in the mid-1990s and established it in the marketplace. The company fought a legal battle with Microsoft to prevent it from launching a Windows-specific version of Java. The dispute later got settled out of court. News.com reports the change may not go over easy with Sun's partners, including a Germany company that replied "in the minds of many people, Java == slow."