The long-running battle between Microsoft and Sun Microsystems over the Java programming language escalated Thursday, as Microsoft issued a terse response to a Sun ad campaign that ran last week. Microsoft released a statement to the press late Thursday explaining the reasons for its removal of support for Java in its upcoming Windows XP operating system. Sun took out full-page ads in three newspapers last week asking consumers to "demand that Microsoft include the Java platform in their XP operating system." In April, Microsoft removed its 4-year-old version of Sun's Java Virtual Machine (JVM) from testing versions of the Internet Explorer 6 browser, which is integrated into Windows XP. The JVM will be an optional 5MB download the first time a user accesses a Web page requiring Java support.

In the statement, which will be posted to Microsoft's Web site later Thursday, the company said: "Sun Microsystems has turned its marketing machine into high gear about Windows XP, claiming that Microsoft has hurt Sun, Java and customers by not including the Microsoft virtual machine in Windows XP. It's time to set the facts straight." Microsoft described Sun's campaign against Microsoft as "unparalleled hypocrisy," arguing the company "has taken every step possible to prevent Microsoft from shipping its award winning Java virtual machine. They spent several years suing to stop Microsoft from shipping a high-performance Java virtual machine that took advantage of Windows." Sun filed a lawsuit in 1997 alleging Microsoft violated its contract for licensing Java.