Sun to show peer-to-peer software

Sun Microsystems on Wednesday will formally unveil Project Juxtapose, the peer-to-peer software called Jxta Sun described in February as part of its ongoing battle to undermine Microsoft. In February, Sun said it planned to release the software as an open-source project, meaning anyone would be able to use and modify the software at no charge. Monday, the company said it will give an initial view of the software and describe the company's plans for it.

Peer-to-peer software connects one computer to another directly, enabling operations that don't rely on larger server computers. The poster child of peer-to-peer services has been online music-swapping site Napster, but other companies are hoping to capitalize on the concept as well. Sun exhorted programmers to incorporate the open-source Jxta software into their own peer-to-peer projects. Standardizing peer-to-peer plumbing would diminish the importance of Microsoft's Windows operating system and its .Net server products.